OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma City Thunder used a 36-21 second-quarter advantage to lead them to a 120-109 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
The Thunder shot 46-of-94 (48.9%) from the field. From outside, the Thunder shot 12-of-28 (42.9%) on 3s. The Thunder ate well inside the paint too, outscoring the Mavericks 56-24.
A funny result considering the size difference between both teams.
After being up by 14 points at halftime, the Thunder cruised in the second half, maintaining their advantage to win their second consecutive game.
Without Luka Doncic, the Mavericks’ offense didn’t miss a beat. The Mavericks shot 31-of-73 (42.5%) from the field and went 14-of-39 (35.9%) from 3. That was a surprising result considering how heliocentric the Mavericks’ offense is as it revolves around Doncic.
Christian Wood led the Mavericks with 27 points and 16 rebounds. Spencer Dinwiddie scored 21 points on 6-of-16 shooting and dished out eight assists. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 19 points.
Outside of that trio though, not much else from the Mavericks cast.
What cost the Mavericks the game was a large shot total difference. The Thunder took 21 more field goal attempts, a massive gulf. Unless the Mavericks were white hot, it would’ve been nearly impossible to make up that difference.
The Thunder will play their first game on TNT in nearly three years when they travel to the Miami Heat on Tuesday while riding a two-game winning streak.
It’s the first time a national audience will be able to watch the Thunder’s young core play since the rebuild began. If the Thunder are going to make a lasting impression, it’ll be beneficial for it to happen in their next game.
Let’s take a look at Thunder player grades.