Mavs Game Observations: Game 42 vs Thunder

Found a way to stand on business for a quality win over Oklahoma rivals

Photo by Sam Hodde / Getty Images

The Dallas Mavericks reminded everyone they are still a good team.

Injuries and struggles over the past 10 games (check out my 10-game trend report from yesterday if you missed it) may have clouded that perspective, but with Kyrie Irving back in the lineup, the Mavericks offered a glimpse of that early-season team that consistently won games—even without their best player.

It was a chippy game, another chapter in the growing rivalry with Oklahoma City, and at times, it felt downright weird and unconventional (more on that in my second point). After the frustration and an unfair break in New Orleans, the Mavericks caught a fortunate one this time, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sidelined due to a wrist injury.

Even so, coming off eight losses in their previous 10 games, Dallas couldn’t afford to take anything for granted. They had to find a way to win this one no matter what it took. And to their credit, they did. The Mavericks fought, showed determination and resilience, and secured a 106-98 victory over the Thunder. Remarkably, this was just OKC’s seventh loss of the season, with two of those defeats coming against a Mavericks team playing without Luka Dončić.

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Today’s notes:

1. More force and pressure to set the tone = a much better start

2. Reverse engineering: building a 20-point lead the OKC way

3. Kyrie Irving: the stabilizer and advantage creator

4. Better clutch process with Marshall and Dinwiddie (🎞️VIDEO)

5. P.J., Maxi, and Naji: putting the clamps on Jalen Williams (🎞️VIDEO)

Bonus point: Daniel Gafford on the wrong side of the circle of trust

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1-More force and pressure to set the tone = a much better start

The Mavericks' lack of perimeter pressure has been my ongoing pet peeve this season, so it was refreshing to see them open the game with significantly more force and intensity than usual. Just as he did earlier in the season during the rematch against the Clippers, Kyrie Irving set the tone by leading with example. He picked up OKC's primary threat, Jalen Williams, early and forced a turnover—one of three Thunder turnovers in the first three minutes.

Unfortunately, the Mavericks negated that strong start and lost an early 10-point lead due to too many breakdowns off the ball. They had at least six botched rotations that led to open threes or layups. Irving was coasting and roaming too much, while Daniel Gafford (more on him later) was involved in three actions that resulted in Thunder threes late in the first quarter.

2-Reverse engineering: building a 20-point lead the OKC way

Despite the breakdowns, the Mavericks kept pushing and playing with much more force. Watching the avalanche that unfolded in the second quarter, you might have thought it was the Mavericks—not OKC—who boast the league’s most disruptive defense and historic opponent turnover rate.

The Mavericks forced eight OKC turnovers in the second quarter, with Naji Marshall coming up with two great steals. These plays allowed Dallas to escape OKC’s halfcourt defensive clamps and turn the game into a more chaotic, transition-heavy affair. Dallas struggled to score against OKC’s set half-court defense for most of the game, managing just 36 points combined in the first and third quarters. However, all those Thunder turnovers in the second quarter allowed the Mavericks to break free, build a 14-0 margin on fast break points, and stretch their lead to 20 points by halftime.

3-Kyrie Irving: the stabilizer and advantage creator

As I mentioned earlier, this was a weird, often chaotic game of runs. Dallas played OKC’s style by generating turnovers, while the smaller Thunder flipped the script by dominating the offensive glass, something the Mavericks typically do against them.

However, amidst the chaos, the Mavericks had their stabilizing force back in Irving, and it made all the difference. Irving’s 19 shots replaced the far less efficient, self-created looks from Dinwiddie, Washington, or others in previous games. He scored a game-high 25 points and, most importantly, brought back the key element the Mavericks’ offense had been sorely missing: advantage creation, especially when it mattered most in the fourth quarter.

4-Better clutch process with Marshall and Dinwiddie (🎞️VIDEO)