The Oklahoma City Thunder continued their push atop the standings Sunday night, grinding out a 100-87 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 30 points, extending his NBA-record streak to 59 consecutive road games with at least 20 points. The reigning MVP, playing just his second game after missing nine with an abdominal strain, once again set the tone for Oklahoma City. Chet Holmgren added 19 points and nine rebounds as the defending champions improved to 47-15 — a half-game behind the Detroit Pistons for the league’s best record and three games clear of second-place San Antonio in the West.
The Thunder did it with defense. Dallas was held to a season-low 87 points, snapping the NBA’s longest active streak of scoring 100 or more at 41 games. Oklahoma City’s 100 points marked its lowest total in a victory this season.
The Mavericks, now 21-39, continue to struggle amid injuries. Star rookie Cooper Flagg missed his seventh straight game with a sprained left foot, and Dallas was also without Naji Marshall (right-finger contusion) and P.J. Washington Jr. (left ankle sprain). Reserve Klay Thompson did not play in the second half due to right adductor soreness.
Caleb Martin scored a season-high 18 points to lead Dallas — the first time he’s paced the Mavericks in scoring since being acquired from Philadelphia on Feb. 5, 2025. But the loss was the eighth straight at home for Dallas and its 13th in the last 15 games, marking the franchise’s longest home skid since the 1993-94 season.
With Flagg — last season’s collegiate player of the year at Duke University — unlikely to return for Tuesday’s trip to Charlotte, the Mavericks’ uphill battle continues.
Up next: Oklahoma City visits the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night, while Dallas opens a six-game road swing against the Charlotte Hornets.
