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The Dallas Mavericks faced the OKC Thunder on Thursday without Luka Doncic. "Luka Legend" was ruled out heading to the game due to a sore hamstring. Without the NBA's leading scorer the Mavs would be led by Kyrie Irving.
True to expectations, "Uncle Drew" carried the visitors in the first quarter against Oklahoma. Irving had nine points and six assists to keep his team close in the matchup. Daniel Gafford and Derrick Jones Jr. ably supported the mercurial point guard.
Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were at the forefront of the Thunder's attack. Oklahoma missed a couple of open shots that would have given them an edge. Still, the OKC closed the first quarter leading 33-27.
The Mavericks bucked Josh Green's injury to briefly grab the lead in the second quarter. Kyrie Irving continued to drag his team with his scoring and playmaking.
Josh Giddey joined Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in pacing Oklahoma.
The Australian's flurry in the middle of the period helped create a little cushion before Dallas erased the advantage. The Thunder carried a slim 65-63 edge heading into the halftime break.
The Dallas Mavericks' four turnovers in the first five minutes of the third quarter allowed the OKC Thunder to pad their lead. It ballooned to 11 points before the Tim Hardaway Jr.'s triple stopped the bleeding. Dallas struggled to execute its offense with Irving getting double-teamed.
The Thunder threatened to run away but Dallas stubbornly refused to wilt. Behind Tim Hardaway Jr., the Mavericks cut the deficit to two points by the halfway point of the third period.
Rookie Cason Wallace, however, gave Oklahoma back the momentum with several crucial defensive plays. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued to cause problems with his playmaking and scoring as the OKC Thunder held a 95-87 lead before the start of the final quarter.
Jalen Williams took over in the fourth quarter for the Thunder. He hit several crucial shots and his rim-rattling dunk with 45.1 seconds left in the game gave OKC a 126-117 lead. He dropped 12 of his 27 points in the last period.
Williams also took on the job of trying to limit Kyrie Irving. While he wasn't always, successful, he made "Uncle Drew" work hard for every shot. The Dallas Mavericks gave it a big fight but eventually lost 126-119.
Dallas Mavericks vs OKC Thunder game player stats and box scores
Dallas Mavericks game player stats
OKC Thunder game player stats
Kyrie Irving, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams 3-pointers tonight
Kyrie Irving made both of his 3-pointers in the first half against the OKC Thunder.
Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams combined to hit 4-for-5 from rainbow distance during the same stretch.
"Uncle Drew" ended the night hitting 4-for-7 3-pointers. He tried his best to carry the Dallas Mavericks but they were too undermanned.
The combo of "SGA" and "J-Dub" finished 4-for-9 from behind the arc to help the OKC Thunder to the win.
