Second-year star Cooper Flagg led the way with 26 points as the Dallas Mavericks hammered the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-96 at home on Wednesday night, one of the most convincing results of the young NBA season.
The Mavericks led from early on and stretched their advantage to as many as 27 points, outscoring the Thunder in every quarter. Dallas have now won two games in a row after also beating the Miami Heat on Monday.
Flagg Leads the Way
Flagg, the 2025 No. 1 overall draft pick, was at the centre of everything for Dallas. He scored 26 points on 10-of-23 shooting, made all four of his free throws and added eight assists and five rebounds.
He had plenty of support. P.J. Washington scored 18 points with nine rebounds, Zaccharie Risacher added 13 points on an efficient 5-of-6 shooting, and Daniel Gafford grabbed 11 rebounds, six of them on the offensive end. Marcus Sasser, Caleb Martin and Morez Johnson Jr. each chipped in 10 points.
Thunder Go Cold From Deep
The Thunder, who had won their previous four games, had one of their worst shooting nights in recent memory. Oklahoma City made just 5 of 32 three-point attempts (15.6%) and scored zero fast-break points, while Dallas scored 17 on the break.
Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was held to 21 points on 7-of-19 shooting and made only one of his six three-point attempts. Ajay Mitchell was the Thunder’s top scorer with 29 points on 12-of-20 shooting, and Isaiah Hartenstein had a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Key Numbers
- Assists: Dallas 30, Oklahoma City 17
- Three-pointers: Dallas 16 of 45, Oklahoma City 5 of 32
- Second-chance points: Dallas 18, Oklahoma City 7
- Bench points: Dallas 43, Oklahoma City 19
- Biggest lead: Dallas 27
What’s Next
Dallas host the Houston Rockets on Friday, while the Thunder will look to bounce back when they visit Houston on Saturday.
For the Mavericks, a dominant win over one of the league’s best teams is a sign that their young core, built around Flagg, is starting to come together.
Sources: Official NBA game data via Sportradar. Image: Wikimedia Commons (file photo of Cooper Flagg during his college career at Duke).