Mavs Steal a Close One in OKC
As a part of NBA rivals week, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-115 on Thursday. In a chippy game that didn’t include multiple stars for both teams such as Luka Doncic, Klay Thompson, Chet Holmgren, or Isaiah Hartenstein; the bench role guys from both teams stepped up. In a game that was pretty much close throughout, there are only a couple of major takeaways from a game that has been exciting over the past year. Mavericks Thunder has started to turn into one of the NBA’s prime matchups no matter who plays, and tonight was just another example of this.
1. NBA Referees Need Less Influence
A great game like tonight almost gets ruined when the refs get too involved with the players in a course-of-play situation. Early in the third quarter, Lugentz Dort was ejected on a flagrant penalty two calls in a bang-bang play that ended with his hand on Daniel Gafford’s midsection. In a decision that greatly influenced a tired OKC defense, coming off a back-to-back, Dort was given no warning and then immediately thrown out, a call that was followed by another OKC technical on star Jalen Williams. It’s hard to say whether the outcome of the game would’ve changed if Dort was in, but OKC’s defense definitely could’ve used him during their failed trap attempts in the fourth quarter. The refs continued to make such calls throughout the game as well, as a seemingly normal foul in transition turned into a clear-path technical foul in a call described by the announcer as “the weakest take foul all season”. Refs have a job to do, everyone knows, but to influence an already psychical game with ejections just doesn’t make sense.
2. Kyrie Irving is the Third Best Mavs Player in the Win
When people have discussed the Mavericks being able to stay afloat, one thing that has been brought up is the secondary role players stepping up; a trait that definitely was shown tonight. In a physical game on the road tonight, Mavericks P.J. Washington and Spencer Dinwiddie combined for 50 points and 20 rebounds in an outburst of efficiency. Spence would end the night shooting an outstanding 11-14 from the field for his 28 points, including multiple clutch threes in the fourth quarter of double teams of Kyrie. Washington on the other hand wasn’t as efficient, going six of 16, but his aggressiveness led to a one-rebound shy of a 20-20 game for the young forward. With Gafford being in and out of the lineup during the game due to injury, the Mavericks needed someone to step up in the rebounding department, and Washington did just that. Other performances such as a 14-point outing from Olivier-Maxence Prosper also helped the win and provided huge energy for a team that had to produce most offense without Irving. Kyrie had a solid game with 24 points, but with the trap defense the Thunder switched to, other players had to step up, and tonight, the Mavericks did.
3. Mavericks vs. Thunder Is Becoming a Great Rivalry
Dating back to about a year ago, these two teams have played in some classic games, including a close six-game playoff battle from last year. No matter who is on the floor for both teams, this matchup has always seemed like a close one over the past year, with both coaches figuring out how to slow down the other team’s best players. Tonight for example, even though Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jdub combined for 64 points, the Mavericks did a very good job of slowing down an offense that has become one of the best in the league by simply controlling pace. Obviously, the Mavericks didn’t have the talent of the Thunder tonight, but they still managed to win, simply due to their willingness to play defense at a high level and make the game chippy at every moment. With Gafford getting kicked in the head, Cason Wallace getting run over, and Gafford elbowing Jaylin Williams, this game had more physicality than most, a normal sign of a budding rivalry. Like we had seen with the Warriors and Kings a couple of years ago, every rivalry starts from a star player clash, and a normal healthy matchup between arguably the two best guards in the league and their all-star studded supporting cast, this matchup will be a close one to watch for years.
