The Dallas Mavericks beat the injury-depleted Oklahoma City Thunder 120-96 on Wednesday night, using a season-best 16 made 3-pointers to hand the defending champions their first loss of the season.
Cooper Flagg finished with 26 points and eight assists, while P.J. Washington added 18 points and nine rebounds as Dallas improved to 3-2. The Mavericks led by as many as 12 points in the first half before pulling away after the break, outscoring Oklahoma City 29-22 in the third quarter and 26-15 in the fourth.
Ajay Mitchell led the Thunder with 29 points on 12-of-20 shooting, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points on 7-of-19 shooting. Oklahoma City fell to 4-1.
Dallas’ biggest advantage came from beyond the arc. The Mavericks made 16 of 45 attempts from 3-point range, including 11 in the first half. Oklahoma City managed just five makes on 32 attempts, shooting 15.6% from deep. Both totals were season lows for the Thunder, which had entered the game unbeaten.
Kyrie Irving scored 15 points in his first regular-season home game since March 3, 2025, when he tore the ACL in his left knee. Irving scored 13 points in the first half, making his first four shots, including three 3-pointers.
He sat out Dallas’ home opener last week as the team managed his return on the second night of a back-to-back.
Daniel Gafford also made a notable contribution from long range, hitting the first 3-pointer of his eight-season NBA career on his 2,384th career shot. He finished with seven points and 11 rebounds.
The Thunder were without Jalen Williams, who is recovering from a broken leg and dislocated ankle, and Cason Wallace, who has a torn labrum. Chet Holmgren missed his second consecutive game with right knee patellar tendinitis, while Alex Caruso also sat out with the same condition.
The result gave first-year Mavericks coach Dusty May his first home victory in his second attempt. Dallas will host the Houston Rockets on Friday, while Oklahoma City visits Houston on Saturday.
