The Dallas Mavericks, missing ace Luka Doncic, beat the Western Conference powerhouse Oklahoma City Thunder to get back to 5-0.
Dallas won a tightly contested 121-119 victory over Oklahoma City on Monday night at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, in a 2024-2025 National Basketball Association (NBA) road game. With its second straight win after four straight losses, Dallas improved to 7-7 and moved into 10th place in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, second-place Oklahoma City (11-3) saw its three-game winning streak come to an 카지노 사이트 추천 end.
The Mavs were dealing with the loss of Doncic to a right knee contusion, but still looked to be on their way to victory, leading by as many as 13 points midway through the fourth quarter.
However, Dallas fell victim to a late Oklahoma City surge. Free throws by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and back-to-back 3-pointers by Jaylen Williams quickly cut the deficit to one, and a step-back 3-pointer by Gilgeous-Alexander with 25 seconds left in regulation cut the lead to three. A spillover led to a steal by Kyrie Irving on Gillespie-Alexander with eight seconds left in regulation.
With 4.1 seconds left in regulation, Gilgeous-Alexander made the first of two free throws after being fouled by his opponent and the second bounced off the rim, but Dallas narrowly held on for the win when Rugenz Dollt, who grabbed the ball, missed a 3-pointer just before the game-ending buzzer.
Dallas’ P.J. Washington filled the void left by Doncic with a 27-point, 17-rebound performance, while Kyrie Irving backed him up with 23 points and six assists. Gilgeous-Alexander chipped in with 36 points and eight assists, but his team fell short in the loss.
The Minnesota Timberwolves pulled off a thrilling come-from-behind victory over the Phoenix Suns, 120-117.
Minnesota tied the game at 117-117 on an Anthony Edwards free throw with 46 seconds left in regulation before Julius Randle’s three-pointer at the buzzer rimmed out in dramatic fashion to secure the win.
Randle finished with 35 points and seven assists, while Edwards had 24 points and six assists. For Phoenix, Devin Booker had 44 points and seven assists, including six 3-pointers, but was overshadowed by his team’s loss.
Minnesota, which improved to 8-6, moved into seventh place in the Western Conference. Phoenix (9-5), which has lost three straight, dropped to fifth in the Western Conference.