Luka Doncic dazzled with 38 points, just missing out on a triple-double, as the Dallas Mavericks cruised to a 121-114 victory over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.
Doncic added 11 rebounds and eight assists. Spencer Dinwiddie also was close to a triple-double, finishing with 20 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.
The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Mavericks and extended the Thunder’s losing streak to three.
Dallas hit 22 3-pointers, their second most of the season, with Tim Hardaway Jr. leading the Mavericks with six.
Hardaway, on the other hand, finished with 20 points to his name.
The Mavericks needed a big offensive performance, as Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tied a career-high with 42 points.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a flurry, with six points and an assist in the final 2:03 to cut the Dallas lead to five with 28.1 seconds remaining.
But Reggie Bullock hit a pair of free throws and Maxi Kleber had a steal late to clinch the game for the Mavericks.
The Mavericks dominated the second quarter, outscoring the Thunder 43-24 to take a 66-52 lead into the break.
Dallas hit 10 3-pointers in the quarter, four from Hardaway.
The Mavericks ended the quarter on a 15-5 run, which included a pair of three-point plays by Doncic and a pair of 3-pointers by Bullock.
But Oklahoma City got back into the game, cutting the deficit to five late in the third thanks to Gilgeous-Alexander’s big quarter.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 17 points in the third, hitting 6 of 10 from the field. He finished 14 of 23 from the floor.
Jalen Williams added 17 points for Oklahoma City. The Thunder outscored Dallas 52-32 in the paint.
Oklahoma City missed its first five shots, falling behind 12-0 in the game’s first four minutes.
The Thunder’s Jeremiah Robinson-Earl left the game early in the fourth quarter after rolling his right ankle and did not return.
