Oklahoma City was up six with under 2 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, but the Mavericks outscored the Thunder 10-2 in the final 1:56 en route to a 105-103 win. Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic poured in a team-high 25 points to go along with seven assists, three rebounds and one steal. Doncic scored 20-plus points for the fourth straight game, he is averaging 25.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game over his last eight games. DeAndre Jordan notched his team-high 23rd double-double of the season with 12 points, a game-high 17 rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 33 minutes.
Dennis Smith Jr., who returned to the lineup at New Orleans on 12/28 (after missing the previous six and 10 of the previous 11 games due to a right wrist sprain), recorded 14 points (5-10 FGs, 2-5 3FGs, 2-2 FTs) and four boards in 27 minutes. With the win, the Mavericks improved to 15-3 (.833) at home this season. Thunder forward Paul George registered a game-high 36 points, including 11 in the opening quarter and Oklahoma City’s final 13 points of the game, to go along with five rebounds and two steals in 37 minutes in the loss.
