OKC Thunder Comeback Fails, Suffers Home Defeat to Dallas

When the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks clash, it's usually destined to be a competitive game. This time around was no different as the Mavericks walked away with a 121-115 win, snapping OKC's 12-game home winning streak.

Dallas entered this game as one of the most beat-up squads in the league. Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, Dereck Lively II, Jaden Hardy, Dante Exum and Dwight Powell were all facing injuries. Star guard Luka Doncic is also in the midst of a left calf strain.

Like most of the battles between Dallas and OKC, neither team pulled away in the first quarter. Spencer Dinwiddie led the way in scoring in the first quarter for Dallas with 10 points, as did Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for Oklahoma City.

OKC's defensive intensity, like usual, was ramped up and making life hard for Dallas. The Thunder forced eight turnovers in the first quarter and 20 by the game's end. At this point in the season, OKC's defensive pressure is not a surprise to its opponents. That being said, it still poses a challenge.

Forward Jaylin Williams posted an impressive performance as the starting big man for OKC. He finished the evening with 12 points, all of which came in the first half. His first-quarter performance was even better, scoring nine of those points in that time frame.

At around the same time, a Cason Wallace three gave OKC its largest lead of the game, going ahead 54-45. They ended the half leading 62-60, after late triples from Kyrie Irving and P.J. Washington.

Second-year Mavericks forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper stood out in the first half and the whole game, finishing the half with 13 and 14 when time expired. This was his highest-scoring output of the season and one of the best performances of his young career.

Dallas jumped ahead to start the third quarter with Washington scoring five and center Daniel Gafford scoring four. Irving also hit a contested triple over Lu Dort to extend that early lead, jumping ahead 74-68.

Around halfway through the quarter, Dort was charged with a flagrant two-foul for hitting Gafford in the groin area. At the same time, Jalen Williams was charged with a technical foul, delivering a free three points to the Mavericks. Two more free throws were added to that total after a foul on Wallace, putting Dallas ahead 79-68. Dort was also ejected during that sequence.

Dallas' free-throw efficiency was a catalyst in the lead they held for most of the third quarter. Trip after trip down the court, the Mavericks would draw contact and earn the foul call. They also capitalized on the high number of attempts. Dallas went 29-for-36 on the night and OKC 16-for-22, a team that usually does well at getting to the free-throw line.

Oklahoma City's sloppiness late in the third quarter kept them in a hole, trailing 91-83 at the end. An uphill battle was in front of the Thunder looking to the fourth.

The defensive gameplan the Mavericks threw at Gilgeous-Alexander all night worked to perfection. He only had 15 points on 6-for-16 shooting entering the fourth quarter after seeing double teams and physical defense all night. That didn't change one bit heading into the fourth quarter.

It took a while to find some momentum but a Gilgeous-Alexander layup and Jalen Williams three got the Thunder within five points. On the following defensive possession, Alex Caruso made his presence felt after forcing a turnover and a foul. That run sparked some much-needed energy into the Thunder.

Since Gilgeous-Alexander had life hard, Williams took the lead role as the scorer. He finished with 33 points on 11-for-19 shooting, one of his best games in his last few performances.

For Dallas, it was Dinwiddie and Irving who led the way. Dinwiddie finished with 28 points on 11-for-14 shooting and Irving with 24 on 8-for-17. More than anything, to nobody's surprise, Irving hit some clutch shots in the fourth quarter and continued to draw fouls.

A late attempt at a comeback from OKC did not work and the Thunder would end up losing to its budding rival.

The Oklahoma City Thunder play next against the Portland Trailblazers at 5:00 p.m. CT on Sunday, Jan, 26.