Mavericks Fall to Thunder in NBA Season Opener
Gilgeous-Alexander Leads Oklahoma City to Victory
Dallas, TX - May 8, 2024
The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Dallas Mavericks 115-102 in the opening game of their NBA Western Conference semifinal series on Wednesday night at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 29 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, while Josh Giddey added 25 points and Darius Bazley had 20 points. Luka Dončić led the Mavericks with 26 points, but he was held to just 9-of-23 shooting from the field. Spencer Dinwiddie added 17 points, and Christian Wood had 15 points and 12 rebounds.
The Thunder took control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring the Mavericks 32-18 to take a 60-46 lead at halftime. Oklahoma City extended its lead to 20 points in the third quarter and never looked back. The Mavericks cut the lead to 10 points with 5:30 remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Thunder made their free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
The Thunder were able to win the game by controlling the pace and the boards. They out-rebounded the Mavericks 50-34 and had 15 offensive rebounds. The Thunder also committed just seven turnovers, while the Mavericks had 14.
The Mavericks will need to make some adjustments if they want to win this series. They need to find a way to get Dončić more involved in the offense and they need to do a better job of rebounding the basketball.
Game 2 of the series will be played in Dallas on Friday night.
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