The Dallas Mavericks topped the Oklahoma City Thunder 106–89 Monday night in Fort Worth, spoiling the Thunder’s strong second-half push and rookie showcase.
Oklahoma City, coming off a preseason-opening win over Charlotte the night before, rested all of its regular starters, no Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, or Aaron Wiggins. Head coach Mark Daigneault’s lineup was made up of young prospects and recent draftees, including Brooks Barnhizer, who led the Thunder with 16 points and seven rebounds.
Dallas Controls Early, Thunder Battle Back
The Mavericks played most of their regular rotation to start, building a 32-point lead at one point in the first half. OKC battled to within 15 with 7:30 to play. The lead fell to six points with under four minutes remaining before a Ryan Nembhard bucket helped Dallas regain control and eventually run away with the win.
Max Christie led Dallas in scoring with 18 points, while No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg added 10 in his home-state preseason debut.
Coach Daigneault Praises Effort
Despite the loss, Daigneault liked what he saw from his young group’s competitiveness.
“It’s a 48-minute game and we played all 48 tonight,” Daigneault said. “I thought the group, especially in the fourth quarter, did a really good job of just competing all the way through the finish line. We put ourselves in a nice position to make it a competitive fourth quarter, which helps us improve at this stage of the season.”
What’s Next
Oklahoma City now gets two days off before returning home for its preseason home opener Thursday night against the Charlotte Hornets, the same team the Thunder beat in Charleston to open the preseason.