Luka Doncic buries 38-points to lead Mavericks to thwart Thunder
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic drives to the basket as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe defends during the second half at American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas, U.S., Dec 12, 2022. (Reuters Photo)


Luka Doncic dazzled with 38 points, just missing out on a triple-double, as the Dallas Mavericks cruised to a 121-114 victory over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.

Doncic added 11 rebounds and eight assists. Spencer Dinwiddie also was close to a triple-double, finishing with 20 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.

The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Mavericks and extended the Thunder's losing streak to three.

Dallas hit 22 3-pointers, their second most of the season, with Tim Hardaway Jr. leading the Mavericks with six.

Hardaway, on the other hand, finished with 20 points to his name.

The Mavericks needed a big offensive performance, as Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tied a career-high with 42 points.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a flurry, with six points and an assist in the final 2:03 to cut the Dallas lead to five with 28.1 seconds remaining.

But Reggie Bullock hit a pair of free throws and Maxi Kleber had a steal late to clinch the game for the Mavericks.

The Mavericks dominated the second quarter, outscoring the Thunder 43-24 to take a 66-52 lead into the break.

Dallas hit 10 3-pointers in the quarter, four from Hardaway.

The Mavericks ended the quarter on a 15-5 run, which included a pair of three-point plays by Doncic and a pair of 3-pointers by Bullock.

But Oklahoma City got back into the game, cutting the deficit to five late in the third thanks to Gilgeous-Alexander's big quarter.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 17 points in the third, hitting 6 of 10 from the field. He finished 14 of 23 from the floor.

Jalen Williams added 17 points for Oklahoma City. The Thunder outscored Dallas 52-32 in the paint.

Oklahoma City missed its first five shots, falling behind 12-0 in the game's first four minutes.

The Thunder's Jeremiah Robinson-Earl left the game early in the fourth quarter after rolling his right ankle and did not return.