Going into Thursday night’s game against the Western Conference’s top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, the Dallas Mavericks had more names on their injury list than ever: Luka Doncic (Left Calf Strain), Klay Thompson (Left Ankle Sprain), Dereck Lively II (Right Ankle Stress Fracture), Naji Marshall (Illness), Jaden Hardy (Right Ankle Sprain), Dwight Powell (Right Hip Strain), and Dante Exum (Right Wrist Surgery). Whew…
In an exclusive interview with Mavs GM Nico Harrison last week in New Orleans, I jokingly asked him if he had considered seeing a voodoo doctor for Dallas’ injury woes while he was in town, to which he responded that he wished he had thought of that sooner. The Mavs will be back in the Big Easy on Wednesday night, so maybe that appointment will be made this time around. I, for one, am not a believer in voodoo magic… but this injury-plagued season the Mavs have experienced so far has been something I’ve never seen before, especially for a team coming off an NBA Finals experience. They need something to change their injury luck going forward.
Despite being severely shorthanded and losing 10 of their last 13 games before facing OKC, the Mavs pulled out a massive 121-115 road win to improve their record to 24-21. The Thunder have only lost eight games all season, and three of those losses have been to the Doncic-less Mavs. Dallas is the only team in the league that has beaten OKC multiple times.
On the latest episode of our Mavs Step Back Podcast, my co-host Drew Johnson and I break down Dallas’ gritty, inspiring win over the Thunder and what it could mean for the Mavs later on this season. Although OKC is favored to make it to the NBA Finals this season, Dallas clearly holds a physical and mental advantage in the matchup, regardless of who is playing or not. You can watch the entire episode at the top of this article.
In the Mavs’ win, Spencer Dinwiddie, who might be the most volatile player in the league from night to night, led the way with 28 points on 11-14 (78.6%) shooting from the floor. Star point guard Kyrie Irving, who played 39 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back, poured in 24 points while being a team-best +16.
P.J. Washington, who has built a reputation for being a “Thunder killer,” kept that momentum going by tallying 22 points, a career-high 19 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks. Dallas is 3-1 against OKC this season, and the only loss happened when Washington didn’t play.
“ I feel like I can post up (against OKC). I can just play my game any way I can,” Washington said with a grin when asked why he always plays so well against the Thunder. “(I) feel like I'm very aggressive against them, and it puts them in rotations, and it's just really good for us on the offensive end.”
Maybe I’m biased when I say this, but I believe the Dallas-OKC rivalry is the best one the NBA has going for itself right now. These two teams clearly don’t like each other, as there is at least one altercation every time they meet. On Thursday, Thunder guard/forward (some might mistake him for an NFL linebacker) Lu Dort, was ejected from the game in the third quarter after hitting Mavs big man Daniel Gafford in the groin area.
Dort is no stranger to unnecessary shenanigans. If he’s not doing something dirty that could potentially injure his opponent, he’s likely flopping in hopes of receiving a foul call. Just last week, when Dallas beat OKC for the second time this season, Dort was given a technical foul for “flopping” on a Mavs screen attempt. Last night, Kyrie Irving was called for an offensive foul when Dort fell to the ground after trying to defend a nasty crossover. Dort succeeded in deceiving the officials that time, but make no mistake, the only thing offensive about that play (as seen below) is what Kyrie did to that man’s ankles.
To cap off the latest chapter of this budding rivalry, Kyrie was seen talking to OKC fans leaving the arena in the game's final seconds, seemingly (and sarcastically) asking them where they were going. If the Mavs can get healthy in the second half of the season, it wouldn’t be a shock to see both these teams running into each other for a playoff rematch, and that would be a major win for the league.
Next up, the Mavs take on the Boston Celtics for the first time since losing to them in the NBA Finals last summer. Stay tuned to Mavs Step Back for more Mavs content in the coming days!
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