The Dallas Mavericks pulled off a memorable 146-111 win at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder – and set a new franchise record in the process.
After the first quarter, the fans in Dallas must have been sure that the entrance fee for the encounter with the Oklahoma City Thunder had been worth it: The Mavs scored 47 points in the first quarter alone – never before in franchise history. The visitors had scored 30 points and were therefore already well behind.
The outstanding player in the first quarter was once again Mavs superstar Luka Doncic, who scored 18 points alone. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was OKC’s best scorer with eight points. Doncic, who was allowed to take a breather throughout the fourth quarter, ended up with 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Kyrie Irving scored a total of 25 points, while German international Maxi Kleber had twelve points, three assists and twelve rebounds. Kleber thus achieved a double-double as a starter
Gilgeous-Alexander gets no support
Gilgeous-Alexander was OKC’s most successful scorer with 25 points, but there was not enough support behind him. Dallas celebrated its fourth success in a row and thus the longest winning streak of the current NBA season. With 30 wins and 23 defeats, the Texans are keeping their play-off chances alive
Daniel Gafford made a successful debut in a Mavs jersey, scoring 19 points and grabbing nine rebounds. “Being on the floor with teammates like Luka, Kyrie and all the others felt like I was already part of the team,” said the 25-year-old American, who Dallas had traded from the Washington Wizards.
Unsurprisingly, Mavs coach Jason Kidd was highly satisfied. The former point guard praised the “high tempo” and generally saw “a lot of good things”. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault complained about his own mistakes, which led to fast breaks by the Mavs: “If you give away easy points and they score, then 47 points can be scored in the first quarter. “
