Jan 23, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) gestures after a play against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
It’s all over but the crying. The Oklahoma City Thunder stumbled against the Dallas Mavericks again on Thursday, 121-115. This marks the third loss for Oklahoma City against Dallas this season. That leaves just five losses against every other NBA team on the year for the Thunder.
This is on the heels of being chased out of the NBA Playoffs in six games a year ago at the hands of these very Mavericks. Couple that with the animosity on the floor and off of it, creating the best NBA rivalry running, and you get a game with nothing but frustration left in its wake.
Oklahoma City was without Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Isaiah Joe, Ajay Mitchell and Ousmane Dieng before the game even tipped off. Lu Dort got ejected. Cason Wallace got whacked in the face. Quickly, the Thunder were down eight roster spots if you include Nikola Topic who awaits his NBA debut next season.
This makes the Thunder a true shell of themselves, but adversity they have been able to manage to the tune of an impressive 36-8 record that leaves them as the no. 1 seed in the Western Conference with the second-best mark in the NBA.
Though, the Thunder couldn’t best the Mavericks in this category, either. Dallas was without Luka Doncic, Dereck Lively II, Klay Thompson, Nanji Marshall, Jaden Hardy, Dante Exum and Dwight Powell.
Further proof, that no matter who played well or who didn’t, none of it matters. No matter the emotions, the history, the fear, the anticipation, the anxiety – the reality is: We don’t know what we don’t know.
When the Thunder has a semblance of rim protection, its defense looks vastly different than it did tonight. Guess what? Oklahoma City is adding two top 15 centers in the NBA to its roster come playoff time when these two squads might meet again. A direct response to a year ago when the Mavericks buttered their bread in the non-Holmgren minutes with no resistance.
When the Mavericks have Luka Doncic and Dereck Lively II? It is a matchup nightmare. Sure, Lu Dort locked down Doncic in the two’s meeting this season, but make no mistake, his gravity as a scorer dictates plenty down to the assignment each player is tasked with giving someone an advantage. For Lively, not only is he a rim-running rim-protector but the perfect big to play off Irving and Doncic to be spoonfed buckets against any defense.
Even the players who would be deemed marginal, like Isaiah Joe and Nnaji Marshall. Marshall is one of the best point-of-attack defenders the Mavericks have to offer and could’ve used him in a game that both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams went for 30-plus. Joe is not just the Thunder’s best shooter, he is their most respected one which limits how much teams can load the paint on the drive-heavy ball handlers. Another change.
It all trickles down to – with all due respect – in a potential playoff matchup between these two teams Jaylin Williams is not playing 26 minutes of rim-protection in name only. Dillon Jones is not trotting out for 12 minutes. Branden Carlson is not soaking up an additional four minutes. Kessler Edwards, Brandon Williams what’s left of Markieff Morris’ NBA career will not be on the floor come postseason time.
So, what is there to take away? Just the frustration in Bricktown over another loss to the same piece of laundry. Nothing more, nothing less.
Song of the Day: It’s all over but the crying by the Ink Spots.
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