The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Dallas Mavericks 117-95 on Tuesday, May 7, to take a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference Semi-Finals.
The Thunders’ young core got the job done against Dallas, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (29), Chet Holmgren (19), and Jalen Williams (18) being the only Thunder starters to record double digits in scoring. Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, and Williams combined for 66 points, over half of Oklahoma City's 117 points. Williams recorded over half his 18 points in the fourth quarter, where the Thunder outscored the Mavericks 28-16 to secure their victory and capture Game 1 at home. Gilgeous-Alexander not only led the game in scoring with 29 points but also led his team in rebounds and assists with nine a piece and only recorded two turnovers to his nine assists.
Goodnight from OKC 😴
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 8, 2024
See you on Thursday! pic.twitter.com/6JaTMPOdoW
The Mavericks had four out of their five starters record double digits in scoring: Kyrie Irving (20), Luka Doncic (19), Daniel Gafford (16), and PJ Washington (10), as well as forward Josh Green, who scored 11 points off the bench. Gafford recorded the team's only double-double, tacking on 11 rebounds to his 16 points; however, the rest of the Mavericks struggled with grabbing rebounds. Luka Doncic struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 1-8 from three, which contributed to the Mavericks shooting only 34.3% from three-point range compared to the Thunder's 45.7%.
The Thunder are set to host Game 2 in Oklahoma City on Thursday, May 9, where they hope to improve their playoff record to 6-0 and the series record to 2-0, while the Mavericks hope to capture a game on the road to even the series at 1-1 before both teams travel to Dallas for Game 3.
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