The Dallas Mavericks didn’t just beat the undefeated Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. They took a punch and kept coming, then turned the game into a runaway late.
Dallas, back home and still waiting on its own rhythm to settle in, handled OKC 120-96 to hand the Thunder their first loss of the season. The Thunder came in short-handed, missing Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso in addition to Cason Wallace and Jalen Williams, and the Mavericks made sure that disadvantage mattered.
Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg set the tone immediately in Flagg’s home debut this season. The two combined for 23 of Dallas’ 33 first-quarter points as the Mavericks traded blows early and then started pressing every edge they could find. Dallas got an early lift from the arc and on the offensive glass, which kept extra possessions alive and gave the Thunder trouble settling in defensively.
One of the cleaner examples came from Daniel Gafford, who stepped into the first three-pointer of his career from the corner on a pick-and-pop. Marcus Sasser added another triple in the second quarter to stretch the lead to 54-42, the biggest hole Oklahoma City had faced all season. The Thunder answered with a quick 9-2 burst from Jared McCain and Ajay Mitchell, trimming things back down, but Dallas still carried a 65-59 lead into halftime.
The third quarter was where the Mavericks really separated. Their defense locked in and held Oklahoma City without a field goal for the first five minutes of the period, while Flagg kept finding ways to score and keep the offense moving. That pushed Dallas ahead 78-63, though the Thunder did chip away and briefly cut the margin to seven.
Dallas steadied itself right away. Flagg scored around the paint, Walter Clayton Jr. stacked together some sharp assists, and Flagg then found Caleb Martin in the corner for a jumper that restored a 15-point cushion with a minute left in the third.
The Mavericks never let the lead slip back into single digits after that. Zaccharie Risacher had his best offensive stretch of the season, finishing with a reverse layup and then a shot-fake, side-step three that pushed the margin to 16.
P.J. Washington followed with back-to-back baskets to make it 20 with less than five minutes remaining, and Mark Daigneault waved the white flag soon after.
Dallas’ pace was a real problem for Oklahoma City all night. The Mavericks kept pushing after makes, after misses, and after turnovers, forcing the Thunder into constant sprint-back defense.
That didn’t translate into a massive fastbreak total - Dallas had 17 fastbreak points - but it did keep creating openings and wearing down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The MVP finished 7-for-19 from the field and went 2-for-10 in the third quarter.
Martin also gave Dallas a useful night on the wing. He hit three three-pointers, nearly had a fourth before his toe touched the line, grabbed a key offensive rebound and held up defensively in a way the Mavericks will gladly take again if it sticks.
Flagg was the biggest storyline, though. He finished with 26 points and, more importantly, kept showing how much cleaner his decision-making has become.
In his last two games, he has 19 assists and just 5 turnovers, and he didn’t have any against Oklahoma City. Whether it was a lob to a rolling big or a look-off into a corner pass, he kept making the right read.
With that playmaking next to his scoring, the Mavericks have something real brewing in just his second season.
The win moved Dallas to 3-2, and for the first time since March 6, 2025 - right after Kyrie Irving tore his ACL - the Mavericks are above .500. Six hundred and one days later, they finally have a winning record again.
The Thunder’s first loss of the season also sets up Dallas’ next test: a rematch with the Houston Rockets on Friday night.
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The Mavericks are facing an important early-season roster call with Zaccharie Risacher, whose rookie-scale option for the 2027-28 season still has not been exercised. Dallas has until Monday to make the decision, and the timing adds another layer to a start that has already been uneven for the young wing, who has struggled with his shooting but has also shown value at the other end with strong numbers in steals and blocks.
For a team trying to sort out its long-term core, the choice carries real weight because it speaks to how much faith Dallas has in Risachers development right now versus what it wants to see before committing further down the line. The Mavericks are not alone in monitoring roster health and personnel movement around the league either, with Houston expected to be without Alperen Sengun for multiple games because of a mild back strain and Memphis guard Ty Jerome opening the fall strongly after his calf injury recovery, but Dallas focus remains on whether this is the right moment to lock in Risacher for the future. [Read more 🡒]
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One of the bigger questions for Dallas is Kyrie Irving, who is on the report with a left knee injury. The Thunder will also be short-handed in the frontcourt, with Chet Holmgren unavailable because of right knee patellar tendinitis, adding another wrinkle to a game that already carries more injury drama than usual. For the Mavericks, the concern is less about one night than about how often they keep having to adjust on the fly while the roster continues to change from game to game. [Read more 🡒]
Kyrie Irving's Future Is Back In The Spotlight For Mavericks Fans
The early buzz around Kyrie Irvings future is back in focus for Mavericks fans, and it comes at a time when the Western Conference is already looking crowded. Houston has opened its season 3-0 and has the kind of start that can make rivals take notice, especially if the Rockets decide they want to turn a hot beginning into a bigger swing at contention.
Insiders have started floating the idea that Houston could be a team to watch if Irvings situation in Dallas shifts again, with the fit alongside Kevin Durant naturally adding to the intrigue. For Mavericks fans, the most relevant part is not the rumor itself but what it could mean if Irving ever pushes for a change and Dallas has to decide how much it is willing to do to help shape the next move. [Read more 🡒]