On Wednesday night, the Dallas Mavericks suffered a second consecutive surprising loss to an NBA bottom dweller. The Mavericks lost 120-114 in overtime to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who arrived in Dallas with just 15 wins of 49 games.
The loss comes just days after they lost to an NBA-worst Orlando Magic team, with only ten wins entering their game against the Mavericks.
The loss to Oklahoma City (16-34) was frustrating and inexplicable. Luka Doncic had an excellent game; yet it was not enough. He finished with 40 points, six rebounds, and ten assists, making 16-of-33 (48.4%) shot attempts, including 5-of-12 (41.7%) from three.
“I don’t know,” Doncic said postgame when asked to explain the loss. “I don’t know how to explain it, but we’ve got to be way better.”
Dallas (29-23) also held a very late lead. After a Reggie Bullock three-pointer gave the Mavericks a 103-101 lead with 9.6 seconds left, fans of the team started to feel relief.
However, the Thunder’s Kenrich Williams beat Doncic on a cut to the rim to score a game-tying layup with 7.5 seconds left on the ensuing possession. With a few seconds still on the clock, Doncic would have a chance for one last-second shot attempt to win the game.
He dribbled the ball to the left and attempted a step-back three-point shot from the wing. The shot was high-arcing but off the mark as it bounced off the rim with 0.1 seconds remaining in regulation.
Oklahoma City opened overtime on a 7-2 run, and Dallas would not threaten their lead again. Overall, the Thunder outscored the Mavericks 17-11 in overtime to give Dallas consecutive losses for the first time since December 23-25.
“This game is on me,” Doncic said postgame. “Two stupid decisions by me the last two possessions. Shouldn’t happen. By far my worst defensive game this year, for sure, and it’s just on me.”
Doncic was upset that he got beat for the game-tying layup, as well as with the quality of his last-second shot in regulation.
”I expected to double, and then I saw it wasn’t much time left,” Doncic said, “so I decided to do a step-back, but obviously it was a bad decision.”
The Mavericks were shorthanded in this game. The second-leading scorer for the team, Kristaps Porzingis, missed his second consecutive game with a bone bruise on his right knee. Key reserve player Tim Hardaway Jr. has been out since January 25, when he broke a bone in his left foot in a game against the Golden State Warriors.
Hardaway Jr. had surgery for his injury on Tuesday in Indianapolis. There is a possibility he will miss the rest of the regular season.
Their absences were felt heavily in this game. Without the 7’2” Porzingis, the Mavericks were out-rebounded 50-39. The Thunder dominated the boards, grabbing 14 offensive rebounds and converting them into 22 second-chance points.
Doncic and Jalen Brunson had to pick up a more significant share of the scoring responsibilities with Hardaway Jr. out. Doncic ended up taking one-third of all the Mavericks’ 98 total shot attempts.
He and Brunson combined to score 18 of the team’s 27 fourth-quarter points. Brunson would finish with 20 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
As a team, Dallas made 14-of-43 (32.6%) from three, including a combined 5-of-16 during the fourth quarter and overtime. Bullock had a solid game, finishing as the team’s second-highest scorer with 23 points, making 5-of-13 three-point attempts, and adding eight rebounds.
The Thunder came out of the gate hot, scoring 30 points in the first quarter to take an early lead. They had another offensive explosion in the third quarter, where they scored 34 points.
“It’s just more of us just not being mentally ready to go,” said Brunson of the Thunder’s big scoring quarters.
The Thunder were effective shooting three-pointers. Entering the game, they ranked last in the NBA in team three-point shooting percentage (31%). Against the Mavericks on Wednesday, they made 17-of-37 (45.9%) from three.
Thanks to the two high-scoring quarters and their three-point shooting, Oklahoma City held a 12 point lead early in the fourth quarter. Doncic and Brunson combined to bring the Dallas deficit to within one point with less than two minutes left in regulation.
That play set up the final regulation sequences, starting with Bullock making what was potentially a game-winning three-pointer. Then, Williams beat Doncic for the game-tying layup, followed by the last-second attempt by Doncic, which was off the mark.
This loss was a poor way for the Mavericks to open with the first of their six consecutive games at home. The American Airlines Center was only about half-full for this game, possibly due to the wintry precipitation that the Dallas area is experiencing.
The Mavericks will get to stay home and avoid the worst of the weather, as they are off Thursday, but will be back in action at the American Airlines Center when they host the Philadelphia 76ers on February 4.