‘We Just Needed To Execute’: Dallas Mavericks Battle Back From 22 Down Before Falling Late To Oklahoma City Thunder
For much of the night, the Dallas Mavericks were hanging by a thread. Playing without two of their top centers and against the reigning NBA champions, they looked overmatched for three quarters. But when the game appeared all but finished, a furious comeback gave them a chance to steal it late.
Anthony Davis carried the Mavericks with 26 points and 11 rebounds, Max Christie hit clutch shots to ignite a fourth-quarter surge, and D’Angelo Russell helped orchestrate a rally that nearly overturned a 22-point deficit. It wasn’t enough, as the Oklahoma City Thunder escaped American Airlines Center with a 101–94 win on Monday night.
Dallas fell to 1–3 on its season-opening homestand while Oklahoma City improved to 4–0. The Mavericks were without Dereck Lively II (right knee contusion), Daniel Gafford (right ankle sprain), and Brandon Williams (personal reasons), forcing Davis to man the middle and leaving Jason Kidd’s rotation thin. Rookie forward Cooper Flagg, dealing with a left shoulder injury, labored through his quietest night as a professional.
Before tipoff, Kidd called the game a “measuring stick” for a group still learning its identity through injuries and lineup changes.
“Both teams are banged up,” Kidd said. “They still got the best player in the world, so this is a great opportunity to see where we’re at.”
A Steady First Half Keeps Dallas Mavericks Close
The Mavericks traded punches with Oklahoma City early, keeping the pace in a tightly contested first half. Davis controlled the interior with his scoring and rebounding, while Christie and P.J. Washington stretched the floor to balance the attack.
Dallas briefly seized the lead in the second quarter after consecutive three-pointers from Russell and Christie, but the Thunder closed the half on a 9–2 run to lead 52–50 at intermission.
The Mavericks’ defense showed the kind of discipline Kidd has been emphasizing since training camp. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who entered the night averaging 40.0 points per game, was held to 11 before halftime and never reached the free-throw line until the final minute of regulation.
That attention to detail allowed Dallas to stay within striking distance despite being shorthanded inside.
Momentum Swings and Missed Chances
The third quarter told a different story. Oklahoma City’s movement and size overwhelmed Dallas, generating 39 points in the period and turning a two-point game into a rout. The Thunder punished the Mavericks in transition and on the glass, outscoring them 68–36 in the paint and dominating the boards 55–36 overall.
Kidd pointed to the combination of missed shots and rebounding lapses as the source of the collapse.
“We have to make shots,” Kidd said. “Even though we scored 27, they capitalized on our misses and dominated the paint. We’ve got to be better there. But holding them to 14 in the fourth shows growth.”
Despite the deficit, Dallas mounted its most complete stretch of the season in the fourth quarter. The Mavericks tightened defensively, limited Oklahoma City to 14 points, and strung together a 13–0 run fueled by sharp rotations and quick ball movement.
Within that rally, Jaden Hardy provided a needed spark off the bench, finishing with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including 2-of-4 from deep, along with two steals. His scoring burst gave Dallas energy at a time when it struggled to generate offense.
“In desperation, you’re looking for someone to score, and Hardy did that for us,” Kidd said. “Also, D’Lo being able to get us organized — those two did a really good job of finding the corners.”
P.J. Washington Jr. and D’Angelo Russell also delivered key plays during the rally. Washington scored 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting and defended multiple positions down the stretch, while Russell added 11 points and six assists, including the pull-up jumper that brought Dallas within one in the final minute.
When Russell’s jumper made it 95–94 with under a minute to go, the Mavericks had pulled within striking distance. But Isaiah Hartenstein’s left-handed layup with 33.8 seconds left and two late free throws from Gilgeous-Alexander sealed the Thunder’s fourth straight win to open the season.
Kidd said he wanted to trust his players to play through the final possession rather than call timeout.
“I thought letting the guys play was the right call,” Kidd said. “You see Hardy drive and get the layup, then you’ve got to take the ball out of Shai’s hands. We did that, and he still made a layup. The game was still in the balance — we just needed to execute. I thought the group was moving the ball, touching the paint, and finding someone. D’Lo felt like he had a good look and came up short.”
Even in defeat, Kidd emphasized the team’s resolve.
“We’ve got a bunch of fighters,” Kidd said. “That game could’ve gotten away from us, but we cut it to one and had the ball down three. At some point, we just have to make shots — we’re getting open looks that aren’t falling.”
Anthony Davis’ Leadership Anchors the Effort
For Davis, the game reflected both progress and frustration. With Lively and Gafford unavailable, the All-Star big man shouldered the full load at center — controlling the paint, initiating offense out of ball screens, and leading huddles during every timeout.
He viewed the late rally as proof that the Mavericks’ foundation is strengthening, even if the results haven’t followed yet.
“We’re going to keep fighting until the end of the game,” Davis said. “It was a bad third quarter, but we held them to 14 points in the fourth and had a chance to win the game. We can’t have those lulls defensively.”
For Davis, the comeback was less about a spark than a reminder of what the team is capable of when it trusts its structure.
“Obviously, I like our resiliency,” Davis said. “We kept fighting all the way and had this team on their heels. But when you’re down 22, everything has to go perfect. We were getting stops and making shots. We gave ourselves a chance. But we don’t do moral victories over here.”
Kidd credited Davis for providing both production and poise as Dallas adjusted to its thin frontcourt rotation.
“He was great,” Kidd said. “When you have that many misses, you hope to get some offensive rebounds, and he did that for us. We’ve got to be better with our smalls crashing too, but AD was big for us down the stretch. He ran the pick-and-roll well and did a great job defensively.”
Max Christie’s Composure and Cooper Flagg’s Growing Pains
The Mavericks’ push was fueled by Christie, who has quietly turned into one of their most reliable shooters. Starting on the wing, he made 4-of-8 from beyond the arc and defended Gilgeous-Alexander for long stretches. His composure stood out in high-pressure moments — a sign of confidence that the coaching staff has worked to nurture.
“It started with defense,” Christie said. “They had 14 points in the fourth, and that got us back in it. We were holding them to one shot, forcing tough ones, and running in transition. We knocked down some threes, but that third quarter really hurt us.”
Christie said his trust in the system has allowed him to stay aggressive, even when early shots don’t fall.
“The coaches empower me to shoot when I’m open,” Christie said. “I’m confident in my work, so even if I miss, I keep going. Coach Kidd and the staff want us to shoot more threes, and I want to be part of that spark. Passing up open looks hurts the team.”
While Christie’s performance was a bright spot, it was a far tougher night for Cooper Flagg. The No. 1 overall pick injured his shoulder on the game’s opening possession and never found a rhythm, finishing with two points on 1-of-9 shooting. He grimaced often, used a heat wrap to stay loose on the bench, and was visibly frustrated by his limited impact.
“It was one of the first plays of the game,” Flagg said. “I think I got grabbed or hung up with someone’s arm and just felt something in my shoulder — a little pain after.”
Kidd said the staff chose to close with a different lineup as Flagg’s shoulder tightened and his mobility became limited.
“He did a great job defensively with the group that got the stop — that’s one lesson learned,” Kidd said. “It just wasn’t his night tonight. He wasn’t on the floor, but he was cheering for his teammates. He also got hit early with the shoulder, so we went with someone else. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow — he’s sore, but he’s a tough kid.”
Flagg, who played through the pain, said the back-to-back presented a new challenge in understanding the physical demands of the NBA schedule.
“One of the biggest differences between college and this level is being able to handle and prepare for back-to-backs physically,” Flagg said. “I felt a little flat, a little banged up, but you’ve got to find ways to play through it and still help the team.”
Even after his slowest outing to date, he made it clear the injury won’t keep him out long.
“Nah, I don’t think so,” Flagg said when asked about his shoulder. “We’ll probably get some scans just to make sure everything’s clean, but I feel like it’s just sore. I’ll ice it, do some rehab, and should be good to go.”
Building Toward Trust and Consistency
Kidd said afterward that while the Mavericks continue to navigate growing pains on offense, he’s encouraged by the team’s ability to compete and stay connected. The staff has emphasized patience with a new system that depends on movement, spacing, and unselfish play — elements that began to click in the comeback.
“They’re competing and doing what we’re asking,” Kidd said. “The hardest part of this offense is spacing and trust — understanding someone’s going to be open when you touch the paint. Some guys have played for me before and understand it. We’re getting wide-open shots that just aren’t going down, but this was a big character game.”
Inside the locker room, Davis echoed that message. He pointed to the two words that hang above the team’s locker room doorway as the foundation for everything the Mavericks want to be.
“Those are our two words for the year,” Davis said. “I think we competed tonight, but we can do better trusting each other. That means making the right pass when the defense collapses — knowing your teammate will make the next play.”
Up Next
The Mavericks (1–3) close their five-game homestand Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers before heading on the road for the first time this season. The Thunder (4–0) will return home to host the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.
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