‘Throw That First Punch’: Dallas Mavericks Hand Oklahoma City Thunder First Loss, 120-96, Behind Cooper Flagg’s 26 Points

DALLAS — The Oklahoma City Thunder went 5-of-32 from 3-point range Wednesday night, and their unbeaten start ended at American Airlines Center. The Dallas Mavericks won all four quarters in a 120-96 final.

Through three quarters, Cooper Flagg had all 26 of his points. He finished with 5 rebounds and 8 assists on 10-of-23 shooting, without a turnover in 32:56.

It was the first home game of the season for Kyrie Irving, who scored 15 points with 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Dallas was plus-25 in his 26:58.

The win moved Dallas to 3-2 and dropped Oklahoma City to 4-1. The Thunder had been allowing a league-low 100.8 points per game. A crowd of 18,111 watched the Mavericks take the quarters 33-30, 32-29, 29-22, and 26-15.

The Mavericks led by as many as 27 points. They scored 17 fast-break points to Oklahoma City’s 0, outscored the Thunder 18-7 on second-chance points, and turned 14 Oklahoma City turnovers into 16 points. Dallas’ bench outscored Oklahoma City’s 43-19, with four reserves in double figures.

Dallas shot 47.4% from the field and made 16 of its 45 3-point attempts. Oklahoma City shot 51.1% in the first half and 30% in the second, when it went 12-of-40 from the field and 2-of-16 from 3-point range. The Thunder held a 44-42 edge in points in the paint and went 19-of-23 at the free-throw line to Dallas’ 12-of-15.

Dallas committed 11 turnovers, two of them team shot-clock violations in the final minute. Four days earlier, the Mavericks turned it over 21 times in a 122-106 home loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

“We had a great team effort,” Mavericks coach Dusty May said. “If we can manage the game and limit the turnovers like we did tonight, we believe we’ll be very difficult to beat. I think we’re definitely developing some winning habits along the way against an organization that’s become a standard. Very good win, now it’s time to turn the page, and we’ve got another tough opponent coming in a couple days.”

Dallas assisted on 30 of its 46 field goals, and Oklahoma City had 17 assists on 36. Zaccharie Risacher came off the bench for 28:51 and committed one turnover, a bad pass midway through the third quarter. He had been part of the group that turned it over 21 times against San Antonio.

“I feel like we took care of the ball. And like you said, we’ve been more disciplined on the offensive end. And I feel like, as the season goes on, the chemistry builds up, and that helps us avoid those turnovers,” Risacher said.

“And yeah, we just gotta keep playing, keep passing the ball, keep making the right plays,” Risacher continued. “And when we take care of the ball like this, offensively, it’s great for us.”

Oklahoma City played without six players. Chet Holmgren (right knee patellar tendinitis), Jalen Williams (left ankle fracture), Alex Caruso (right ankle sprain), Cason Wallace (left shoulder labral tear), Nikola Topić (low back surgery), and Thomas Sorber (right knee surgery) were all inactive. The Thunder dressed 11 players, three of them on two-way contracts.

Dallas was without Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery), Santi Aldama (right knee surgery), Sergio De Larrea (right knee sprain), Naji Marshall (illness), and Tarik Biberović (right heel bursitis), all of whom were on the injury report before tip-off.

Cooper Flagg And Kyrie Irving Set The Early Pace

All 8 ties and all 6 lead changes came in the first quarter. Flagg opened the scoring with a driving layup 35 seconds in, and Irving made all four of his shots in the period, three of them 3-pointers, for 11 points. Flagg scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting with 3 assists.

Daniel Gafford gave Dallas an 8-7 lead with 8:29 left in the first quarter when he made a 23-footer off a Flagg pass. It was the first 3-pointer of his career, on his second attempt, in his 438th regular-season game. His only other attempt came in 2021-22 with the Washington Wizards.

“He puts in the work. He made one in exhibition. And the entire time he’s been working on these all summer. And working on them in the summer and making them in games are usually two different things,” May said.

“I give him a lot of respect because typically when you start making them in practice, you start hunting them in games, and he hasn’t done that, something that’s not ordinary,” May continued. “He’s just continued to dominate the paint, dominate the paint, and then when he finds them, he’s got to knock it down. So there will be some games whenever we have to look for that.”

“But typically, like I said, when bigs start making them, they change their game. He’s changing his game, but it’s to be an enforcer down low,” May added. “I can’t say enough good things about the way Gaff’s playing right now. Him and P.J., two holdover guys on the front line, have been phenomenal.”

May went to his bench at a timeout with 6:39 left and the game tied 13-13. On the next possession, Flagg hit a 3-pointer off a pass from Morez Johnson Jr.. Walter Clayton Jr. had 3 assists in his 5:00 of the first quarter, setting up a transition 3-pointer by P.J. Washington for a 19-16 lead, a Johnson layup for a 23-21 lead, and a Flagg 3-pointer that tied it 28-28.

Bennett Stirtz scored 6 points off the Oklahoma City bench in the quarter, including a 27-foot pull-up that tied it 19-19. The Thunder scored 14 of their 30 first-quarter points in the paint on 7-of-9 shooting there.

With 54.9 seconds left in the quarter, Flagg’s floater put Dallas ahead 30-28 for the final lead change of the night. Irving hit a 25-footer off a Flagg pass with 10.4 seconds left to make it 33-28 before Aday Mara finished an alley-oop from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 0.2 seconds on the clock.

Flagg had 12 points and 3 assists in the first quarter, and Dallas made 7 of its 13 3-point attempts in the period. He scored on a driving layup, an 18-foot pull-up, a floater, and two 3-pointers before the horn.

“Just coming out, just in the game plan, we knew what they were gonna do,” Flagg said. “My teammates put me in good spots, coach put me in good spots, and [I was] just able to capitalize on it early.”

Irving’s first basket was a 25-foot pull-up with 9:51 left in the first quarter that tied it 5-5, and he stole the ball from Ajay Mitchell on the next possession. He sat out Saturday’s loss to San Antonio with left knee injury management on the second night of a back-to-back, and he was listed as questionable Wednesday with the same designation. He is on a minutes restriction in his return from the torn ACL in his left knee he suffered on March 3, 2025, an injury that cost him all of last season.

“Tonight felt like another game on the schedule rather than just like a welcome back to AAC moment,” Irving said. “I honestly was just throwing myself into the game, throwing myself into preparation, and just trying to find, or continue, our rhythm that we’ve built on since the first game of the season. We obviously want to continue to get better, but being the leader of the team, I know emotionally I’ve got to carry a lot.”

“But I think tonight was just a step in the right direction, just getting this game out of the way, performing in front of our home crowd, them getting a chance to see our new team and new faces around, and just what they can look forward to every time they come to see us play,” Irving continued.

Dallas Mavericks Pull Away In Second And Third Quarters

Dallas never trailed again. Caleb Martin, playing his first game of the season after missing four with a right thumb sprain, opened the second quarter on the floor and made a 3-pointer off a Marcus Sasser pass with 9:55 left for a 39-34 lead. Max Christie followed with a 3-pointer from Irving with 8:07 left for a 46-36 lead.

Sasser scored 8 of his 10 points in the second quarter. He finished a cut off a Gafford pass and made the free throw for a 49-40 lead, and his pull-up 3-pointer in transition with 5:02 left made it 54-42. Dallas grabbed 8 offensive rebounds in the quarter, 4 of them by Gafford.

Oklahoma City scored 9 of the next 11 points, and Mitchell’s 3-pointer with 3:28 left cut it to 56-51. Washington answered with a turnaround hook off a Flagg pass, and Johnson’s layup counted on a goaltending call against Isaiah Hartenstein for a 60-53 lead. Flagg made two free throws with 5.9 seconds left for a 65-59 halftime lead.

Dallas shot 37% in the second quarter but went 8-of-9 at the free-throw line. The Mavericks made 11 of 27 3-point attempts in the first half, and Oklahoma City made 3 of 16. The Thunder outscored Dallas 26-14 in the paint before halftime.

Sasser checked in with 1:39 left in the first quarter and the score tied 28-28. Dallas outscored Oklahoma City 37-31 from that point to halftime, and Sasser was plus-9 in the first half. May could not place the exact moment afterward, only that it came early.

“I don’t remember the moment, but I felt like we were just kind of getting up and down with them and playing a game,” May said. “And then there was one possession in the first half, I thought it was the first quarter, when Sasser really… I thought that energized his teammates. I thought it was an inspiring play. I thought it was an energizing play.”

“And it seemed after that we kind of decided we weren’t just gonna trade baskets with them,” May continued. “We’re gonna start competing on the glass and play with a little more fire and energy.”

After Gilgeous-Alexander made two free throws to cut the deficit to 65-61 with 10:19 left in the third quarter, Dallas went on a 13-2 run. Irving started it with a floater off a Flagg pass. Christie hit a 3-pointer in transition, Washington finished a finger roll off a Risacher pass, and Risacher tipped in a Christie miss. Flagg added a pull-up on the break, and Gafford finished an alley-oop from Flagg for a 78-63 lead with 7:30 left.

Oklahoma City scored the next 8 points, and Gilgeous-Alexander’s 3-pointer with 5:56 left made it 78-71. Flagg hit an 11-foot pull-up on the next possession. Clayton then set up a Johnson layup in transition and a Risacher reverse layup, and with 1:00 left, Flagg found Martin with a no-look pass for a 21-footer that made it 92-77. Dallas outscored the Thunder 16-10 over the rest of the quarter and led 94-81 entering the fourth.

Oklahoma City shot 6-of-23 in the third quarter, 2-of-12 from 3-point range, and committed 5 turnovers. Dallas outscored the Thunder 18-8 in the paint in the period. Gilgeous-Alexander played all 12 minutes of the third and went 2-of-10 from the field.

Flagg had 10 points and 3 assists in the third. He has 19 assists across his last two games, after handing out 11 on Monday in Miami.

“I think it definitely helped getting those reps and stuff like that. But I think it’s something that just comes with getting more and more comfortable, trusting the guys, the guys trusting me more and more, and getting more of a feel for the game, and I’m drawing a lot of help,” Flagg said. “So just making the right plays, finding the guys that are open out there, and trusting that they’re gonna knock down their shots.”

“So just keeping the defense honest, not letting them over help,” Flagg continued. “Whenever I feel heavy pressure, you just gotta give it to the next man and let them make the right plays.”

Flagg went 1-of-6 from the field in the second quarter, including 0-of-2 from 3-point range, and 4-of-8 in the third. Dallas still outscored Oklahoma City 61-51 across those two quarters.

“His ability to just get in the paint, and they were bringing the double from the weak side, and he’s able to navigate that,” May said. “Several shots that looked great that just didn’t drop. Just like Kai, when you look at the shots that he’s getting, he’s creating great looks for himself and his teammates. And just like Kai, when your franchise guys are that unselfish, it’s very difficult not to fall in line and continue with playing good ball.”

Flagg made all 4 of his free throws Wednesday, two in the second quarter and two in the third. Entering the night, he was attempting 6.7 free throws per game and making 90% of them.

“Definitely just holding my lines, getting all the way downhill, and trying to create more contact, get fouled,” Flagg said. “But I think just getting stronger helps with that too, being able to hold my line better, be more physical [at the rim].”

The Mavericks opened the season with a 128-110 loss at the Houston Rockets on Oct. 21, and they have gone 3-1 since. Dallas led for the final 36:55 on Wednesday and won the second quarter 32-29, a period Flagg said the team had singled out early in the season.

“I think just being together, not getting knocked off from physicality,” Flagg said. “And I think just trying to throw that first punch rather than the other team throwing the first punch, being more physical from the jump, and trying to find our way back into it. So I think the big thing we were talking about earlier with some of those second quarters, having that down quarter.”

“But I think just coming together, having better communication from our leaders, and kind of having better second quarters and being able to take control of segments of the game has really helped us to stay on track,” Flagg added.

P.J. Washington And The Bench Close Out The Fourth

Risacher scored 5 points in the first 1:44 of the fourth quarter on a fast-break putback and a step-back 3-pointer off a Sasser pass that made it 101-85. Martin hit a 21-footer from Sasser with 8:37 left, Gafford scored on a putback with 8:07 left, and Martin’s 3-pointer from Irving with 7:31 left made it 108-89.

After Mitchell made two free throws to cut it to 108-93 with 6:45 left, Dallas scored the next 12 points. Washington had 7 of them on a 3-pointer, a layup off a Gafford pass, and a pull-up jumper. Johnson added a tip dunk, and Christie’s 3-pointer off a Tobi Lawal pass with 2:11 left made it 120-93.

Flagg checked back in at 6:45 and sat for good at 4:41. Moussa Cissé, Jett Howard, and Lawal entered with 2:40 left, and Dallas was called for a delay-of-game technical at the same stoppage. Stirtz missed the free throw. Mitchell scored 10 of Oklahoma City’s 15 fourth-quarter points, and Brooks Barnhizer hit a turnaround fadeaway with 1:11 left for the final margin. Dallas had 9 second-chance points in the fourth.

Washington finished with 18 points and 9 rebounds on 7-of-16 shooting. Gafford had 7 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks, and 6 of his rebounds came on the offensive glass. Christie added 11 points and 5 rebounds on 3-of-7 shooting from 3-point range.

Dusty May And Flagg On Playing With Irving

Flagg also missed the Spurs game, with a left shoulder sprain he suffered the night before at Indiana, which made Wednesday the first home game of the season for both him and Irving. Flagg played all of his rookie season without Irving.

“I think just as gravity, I just know having so much gravity as a player, he attracts so much attention that it opens up the floor for everybody else,” Flagg said. “And I think my gravity, as I’ve continued to grow more and more gravity, I think I’ve gotten him some easier looks as well.”

“So just finding ways to play off each other and find him and him finding me and just helping each other and making the game easier has been something that’s been fun to experiment with,” Flagg continued. “I think there’s a lot of growth, another gear that we can get to with each other out there and helping each other out more. But it’s been a pleasure to be able to just be alongside him and learn as we go kind of on the fly.”

Irving was plus-23 through three quarters, including plus-16 in the first half. He had 3 of his 4 assists before the fourth quarter, two of them on Christie 3-pointers, and he sat for good with 5:33 left.

“It’s great. Obviously he’s a great leader, great vet. He has a great voice out there commanding guys to do different things,” Flagg said. “And he sees the game at a high level. So some of his basketball IQ actually on the court, it helps out to get guys in the right spots.”

Irving finished plus-25, the best mark on either team. His last assist set up Martin’s 3-pointer with 7:31 left, the final basket of Martin’s season debut.

“The beautiful part is he’s still just getting his rhythm back,” May said. “You see some things out there, like he’s managing the game for us. When he’s on the floor, we’re really, really good. He’s getting so much attention as well. The way he trusts his teammates, I think the majority of Caleb’s shots were Kyrie generating or drawing two and getting off the ball. And that’s a real staple of our team, of just making the right plays. So obviously you guys know how I feel about Kyrie.”

Irving took 8 of his 14 shots from 3-point range and made 3, all in the first quarter. Gafford, who set up Washington’s layup with 4:41 left, finished with 2 assists to go with his 6 offensive rebounds.

“Our guys have done a nice job after offensive rebounds, fanning out. And so he’s gonna take what the game gives him if they’re in a deep, deep drop coverage, and Gaff’s screens have been… There’s probably 10 or 15 every game that Gaff just sets great screens and gets these guys open,” May said. “And so if the big’s in a deep drop, he’s obviously a great decision maker. So we like the threes. They are worth more.”

Zaccharie Risacher Draws Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Hours After Option Pickup

Risacher finished with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, plus 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block in 28:51 off the bench. Dallas outscored Oklahoma City by 16 points with him on the floor. Two days earlier, he shot 2-of-13 in a win at Miami.

Hours before tip-off Wednesday, Dallas exercised the fourth-year team option on his contract, worth $17,434,637 for 2027-28. The Mavericks acquired Risacher, the No. 1 overall pick in 2024, from the Atlanta Hawks on July 19 in a three-team trade that also included Oklahoma City.

“I heard that before the game. My agent let me know, and I was super happy, super great news,” Risacher said. “I’m feeling grateful to be in this organization, this environment, with those people I’m talking about, like staff, front office, teammates. Everybody’s been great, and everybody wants to win, and everybody does the right thing to make sure that we get in this position, like win games and compete.”

“And I feel like as a young player, that’s the best position I can get in, and I’m grateful to be able to be in that environment for like two years at least,” Risacher continued. “So I’m just super grateful.”

Gilgeous-Alexander shot 2-of-10 after halftime, much of it with Risacher guarding him. Risacher stole the ball from him with 3:23 left in the third quarter and blocked his layup attempt on the break 10 seconds later. In their tracked matchup time, Gilgeous-Alexander went 1-of-5 against Risacher.

“I thought tonight he played a masterpiece,” May said. “The two threes he made, it’s a prime example of the shot clock and then a step back left when there’s no time to think. Whenever he can really get to the point where he’s not thinking consciously on his jump shots, because he’s a good shooter, he’s a very good shooter, but he’s impacting every single possession.”

“The job he did on Shai in the second half, I’ve watched a lot of Shai film, and you don’t see that very often, to beat him to spots, to get deflections, to challenge shots without fouling,” May continued. “I thought he was great.”

Gilgeous-Alexander did not play in the fourth quarter. He finished with 21 points and 6 rebounds on 7-of-19 shooting, including 1-of-6 from 3-point range, and went 6-of-6 at the free-throw line. Mitchell led Oklahoma City with 29 points on 12-of-20 shooting. Hartenstein had 10 points and 14 rebounds, and Jared McCain scored 10 on 3-of-13 shooting, including 0-of-6 from 3-point range.

Risacher and Flagg entered Wednesday tied for the second-most combined steals and blocks in the NBA, with 16 apiece. Risacher now has 9 steals and 9 blocks through five games.

“I feel like it’s a mindset first. Every time we get on the court, we try to play hard, and we’re using our size, we’re communicating, playing our own stuff. And like I said, everybody has each other’s back. So defending in those conditions makes life easier, because you know you can make a mistake, somebody’s going to have your back,” Risacher said.

“So it allows you to be a little bit more aggressive, and I feel like that’s what we’ve been doing,” Risacher added. “And I think that reminds us that every time we step on the court, it’s to guard and be impactful, be physical.”

Gilgeous-Alexander entered the night averaging 27.3 points, and he had 12 on 5-of-9 shooting at halftime. Risacher played 16:20 of the second half, the most of any Dallas reserve after the break.

“I like it. I like it. That’s why I’m on the court, just being able to impact the game,” Risacher said. “And sometimes you’re going to be guarding the best player on the court. So that’s what I do, and I feel like that’s just the mindset that I have every time I step on the court, like I talked about. I just want to be impactful, want to win the game. It’s as simple as that.”

“I like the challenge,” Risacher detailed. “I like the challenge and being able to compete and impact the game on defense like this has been great for me. And I feel like that’s also how I find the rhythm in my game, because I know that when I’m focusing on those things, the rest of the flow, the rhythm, will take care of itself. That’s what I do out there. And just being able to guard him was great.”

Dallas grabbed 15 offensive rebounds to Oklahoma City’s 12. Gafford had 6 of them and Risacher had 4, including his tip-in during the third-quarter run and his fast-break putback early in the fourth.

“I was talking about the defense and getting rebounds. It’s also what I got in mind when I step on the court too. I’m trying to impact the game as much as I can, and that’s one of those things that I’m trying to do as much as I can, being impactful, crashing every time,” Risacher said.

“So we get second chances, and I feel like that’s my way to contribute and to make sure, like, getting those extra possessions,” Risacher noted. “It’s really important, especially in tie games. So it’s all those kind of things that I’m taking a lot of pride to do.”

Flagg’s first-quarter assists set up three 3-pointers, two by Irving and Gafford’s first career make. In the third, he found Gafford for an alley-oop and Martin with a no-look pass for a 21-footer.

“He’s been great. He’s playing at a high level, making all the right plays. He’s scoring, he’s playmaking, he’s guarding,” Risacher said. “So it’s great to be around him and be able to compete with him.”

Flagg, 19, went No. 1 overall in 2025, a year after Atlanta took Risacher with the first pick. With Irving, the top pick in 2011, Dallas has three former No. 1 overall picks on its roster.

“We’ve talked about it a little bit. It’s tough. Obviously, it’s something that is different than a lot of other people. There’s only one number one pick each year. So you definitely feel like another level of pressure, and that’s something I’ve talked to him about, and we’ve talked about it together, just forgetting about the pressure,” Flagg said.

“I told him, ‘I know how good you are.’ We don’t care. Nobody here cares that he was a number one pick,” Flagg continued. “We just want to go out there and play and be who he can be. I think that’s kind of what we’ve seen so far.”

Risacher had made 3 of his 17 3-point attempts through his first four games with Dallas. On Wednesday, he made 2 of 3, both off passes from Sasser, and he finished plus-16.

“He’s brought a lot. It goes back to that competing. Obviously, I think he has a long way to go, and he has so much growth that he can show offensively with his shot making. He’s super versatile, but I think he’s great overall for us to impact the game in so many different ways,” Flagg said. “That’s why I tell him a lot of the time, I think we’re 15 to 20 points better with him just doing little things, and the shots will fall and all of that. I don’t even care about it.”

“But when he just goes out there and competes at the highest level and how he can, he makes it so much better just with his versatility all over the court when he’s flying around,” Flagg added. “He’s been huge for us so far, and we’re needing to keep getting better and keep playing with the same fire.”

Oklahoma City Thunder Held To 5-of-32 From 3-Point Range

Oklahoma City went 0-of-4 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter and finished without a fast-break point on 3 attempts. According to play-type data, the Thunder went scoreless on 13 unguarded jump shots and averaged 0.56 points per catch-and-shoot possession. Dallas averaged 1.75 points on 12 possessions that reached the final four seconds of the shot clock.

“Just rotating, having each other’s back, competing at a high level, covering for each other,” Flagg said. “It looks a little different with their guys out there, and they were a little undermanned, but still just rotating, covering for each other, flying around, and trying to get them to take shots we want them to take.”

“Just getting back. Like I said, covering for each other. I thought we had good defensive balance,” Flagg explained. “I thought we could have crashed a little bit more, but that’s good when you can hold a team to zero fast-break points. And we were getting set.”

Caleb Martin, Morez Johnson Jr. Lift The Mavericks Bench

Martin finished with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range, plus 2 rebounds and 1 steal in 13:49. He was listed as questionable on Tuesday’s injury report after missing the first four games.

“Caleb, from the first day we got here this summer, we’ve just been communicating with him because he has a real unique past,” May said. “He has a unique set of experiences, and he’s a very, very smart, tough basketball player that we felt like could help us win these type of games. And he got injured, and sometimes when you’ve been in a little bit of a shooting funk, he had been in, you take that thing up and it causes you not to think about things and just play more freely.”

“Other than he lost a little bit of confidence in his shooting, he’s always performed well when he wasn’t trying to do too much. He deserves this,” May added. “If we’re winning games this year, he’ll have a big part of that. He’s got a real presence in our locker room. He’s got respect within our team. Man, what a great guy to coach.”

Of the 13 Mavericks who played Wednesday, Martin was the only one making his season debut. Irving assisted on one of his four baskets, Sasser on two, and Flagg on the other.

“Very proud, very proud. Anytime you miss any games, especially in the NBA, the rhythm could change a little bit about your game, and it might take a game or two, but he came in and filled in like he hadn’t missed a beat,” Irving said. “It didn’t look like his injury was holding him back at all. So really proud of him, really proud of our guys, just the way we were complementing each other, and then also just how impactful we were with our minutes, each person.”

“Dusty’s gonna come in and keep playing guys, keep getting fresh bodies in. But our young guys are doing a great job of filling in their roles and listening to what we’ve gotta say,” Irving continued. “I think it honestly starts with the way our practice habits go, and the carryover is what you’re seeing.”

Dallas was plus-8 in Martin’s minutes. He played 5:20 in the first half and 8:29 after halftime, and three of his four baskets came in the second half.

“Caleb looked great. Obviously, he’s been rehabbing his hand and trying to get back for a little while, but I thought he looked really good. Caleb’s a connector and can just connect different guys. He’s not selfish and trying to worry about scoring all the time. He’s gonna be a connector out there for us,” Flagg said.

“I think a lot of little things that he does make us a lot better on both sides of the ball,” Flagg noted. “Yeah, he made a couple shots today, but I think just for Caleb, it’s the connecting stuff that he does, all the little things that he brings to this team, that can bring us to another level.”

Johnson had 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists on 4-of-6 shooting in 17:46. Mara, his teammate under May at Michigan last season, came off Oklahoma City’s bench and finished with 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 blocks with 4 fouls. Dallas drafted Johnson ninth overall in June, and Oklahoma City took Mara 12th.

“Those guys, that’s what it looked like every day. You want to know how two guys come from nowhere to be lottery picks in one year? They competed like that against each other every single day,” May said. “Iron sharpened iron. And what they did today, it just looked like a normal day at the office. They’re completely different players, and because of that, they were able to help each other.”

Sasser finished with 10 points and 4 assists, and Clayton had 5 assists without a point in 14:41. Ten Mavericks played at least 13 minutes.

“We have great depth, and that’s a challenge at times. But it’s a great challenge because there are several guys on our team tonight that deserve more minutes, and they just didn’t get them because the other guy played in their position,” May said. “And we’ve got to value and prioritize winning over those minutes and those shots, and that’s another part of winning, that shared sacrifice. So obviously we’ve got to continue to develop winning habits.”

“We’ve got to continue to improve, but I really enjoy watching how our guys are interacting and how much joy they’re bringing to our fans, I’m sure their families and whoever love and support them, but also just the game,” May continued. “We have a long way to go, but they’re trying to play this game the right way.”

Eight Mavericks scored in double figures, led by Flagg’s 26 and Washington’s 18. Among Dallas’ regular rotation, only Gafford, with 7, and Clayton, without a point, finished in single digits.

“I would say that’s a collective win. Everybody was involved, everybody played hard, and we’re having fun too,” Risacher said.

Dallas made 7 of its 14 fast-break shots, three of them in the third quarter. Christie’s transition 3-pointer and Flagg’s pull-up on the break both came during the 13-2 run early in that period.

“First of all, we played hard. We played hard on defense. We got each other’s back, and we played free too. We showed the offense. We were running the floor. And I feel like that chemistry keeps building,” Risacher said. “And on top of that, we play really hard. So I feel like it’s just a great win as a team. And yeah, we gotta keep it rolling.”

Masai Ujiri was named the Mavericks’ president of basketball operations on May 4, and May was hired on June 23 after two seasons at Michigan. Dallas went 26-56 last season and finished 12th in the Western Conference.

“I think a lot. Obviously, I think it goes to my side as well. The culture that they’ve come in this summer and tried to build and change the culture around, get guys back to just competing and worried about one thing, it’s just winning,” Flagg said. “And that’s all we’re worried about, doing whatever we can to win, compete, every single possession, every single day, with practice, whatever it is.”

“Just thinking about winning and competing over everything else, and I think Dusty has contributed a lot,” Flagg continued. “Obviously, he’s super knowledgeable, and he’s had us prepared, so I think he’s contributed a lot.”

Dallas has won two straight, after a 113-109 win at the Miami Heat on Monday in which Flagg had 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 11 assists. Wednesday opened a three-game homestand that continues against Houston and the Sacramento Kings.

“Like I said, just competitors, just guys that go out and compete in every single possession, every single day, every single game. Do the little things, and we’re not gonna give up,” Flagg said. “I think that’s another thing, just playing with that joy, being competitors. And I think that kind of goes hand in hand, just enjoying the competition more and enjoying that.”

“It just gives us so much. We’re playing with so much more joy and so much more fun out there,” Flagg added. “And instead of feeling like as much of a battle, it just feels more fun that we’re going out there and competing together.”

Holmgren and Jalen Williams, two of Oklahoma City’s six inactive players, had been averaging 12.0 and 13.7 points. Mitchell, who was questionable with a right ankle sprain, played 27:44 and led the Thunder in scoring.

“It’s a blur. We’ve obviously improved. I don’t have to get ahead of myself. This was a depleted Oklahoma City team,” May said. “There’s steps that teams have to go through to learn how to win and be confident they’re going to win. And we’re still learning a lot about ourselves. I’m still making mistakes. Players are still making mistakes. So we still have a lot to clean up. But if we do value the ball and we compete like we’re competing, we’re going to be in the games.”

Dallas hosts Houston on Friday at American Airlines Center, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. CT. Oklahoma City plays at Houston on Saturday.