The Oklahoma City Thunder were able to impress as they won its second consecutive game without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over the Dallas Mavericks, 120-114.
Throughout the week, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault and players have preached a collective effort when it comes to overcoming Gilgeous-Alexander’s absence. And so far, two games in, that has been the case. In Wednesday’s case on the road in Dallas, the Thunder were able to escape overtime with a close win against a playoff contender. Lu Dort and Tre Mann led the way in the scoring department as the former scored 30 points while the latter scored 29 points. Josh Giddey, the recent Rookie of the Month winner, also contributed with a near triple-double.
For the Mavericks, Luka Doncic’s 40 point and 10 assist double double was not enough to overcome the Thunder. Jalen Brunson and Reggie Bullock also contributed with 20 points and 23 points respectively.
This was a very encouraging win for the Thunder as it was led by its young players. Gilgeous-Alexander left a massive vacuum of possessions with his absence and Mann really took advantage of all the new scoring opportunities available on the team. Let’s take a look at player grades.
