OKC Goes Down Fighting Vs Kyrie, Dallas, Sans Alexander, Top Big Men, 98-106
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 18 Jan 2025
The OKC Thunder may have botched the chance for the league's best record midway through the season but there's reason not to feel down.
Less than 24 hours after battling erstwhile league leader Cleveland Cavaliers and delivering a smashing 134-114 victory at home, OKC made a short trip to Texas to face a Luka Doncic-less Dallas Mavericks. But the Thunder are without their money man Shai Gilgeous Alexander while Kyrie Irving suited up for Dallas.
OKC lost, 106-98 but they went down fighting against a Mavericks that had the other half of the team's prolific scorer and playmaker in Irving.
Aside from Doncic, the Mavs also missed 7-4 center Dereck Lively III and a couple other players going out with injury. But apart from Alexander who did not suit up for nagging injury himself, the Thunder continued to miss center Isaiah Hertenstein who before his injury was doing a great job subbing for main big man Chet Holmgren. Again power forward Jaylin Williams had to move to the slot to contend against Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington.
It was the Thunder that felt the absences of their main pieces more than the Mavericks.
This was immediately evident as Dallas raced to 10-0 lead in the opening quarter. A glimpse of OKC's defense that crippled Cleveland showed as the Thunder held the Mavs to just 12 points the rest of the first quarter while scoring 26 points themselves to take the opening frame, 26-22.
But Dallas regrouped and with Irving and Washington leading the assault, the Mavs dropped a 41-17 bomb in the next quarter to take a 63-43 lead in the intermission.
Again, OKC's resolute defense showed in the third quarter and with Jalen Williams and Lue Dorf spearheading the counterattack, managed to reduce the deficit to just one at the end of the frame, 77-76.
Led by Irving, Dallas proved steadier in the final period and managed to post ten-point leads which OKC managed to whittle down to eight at the final buzzer. The rigors of catching up and fatigue from yesterday's game against Cleveland must have caught up on the Thunder.
Irving topped all scoring with 25 points. He was ably backed up by Washington and Spencer Dinwiddle who tossed in 16 points each while Naji Marshall added 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Dallas.
For the shorthanded Thunder, Jalen Williams led with 19 points followed by Dorf with 18 points. Jaylin Williams added 12 points and 12 boards
The loss dropped OKC's record to 34-7 still tops in the West but half a game behind the East's Cleveland which regained the league's best at 34-6. The win raised Dallas record to 23-19, seventh in the West.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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