Cooper Flagg, Mavericks Hand Thunder First Loss

Cooper Flagg spent Wednesday night picking apart a shorthanded Oklahoma City defense, and by the fourth quarter the Dallas crowd was celebrating a blowout. Flagg had 26 points and eight assists without a single turnover as the Mavericks beat the Thunder 120-96 at American Airlines Center, handing Oklahoma City its first loss of the season.

Dallas moved to 3-2, the first time the Mavericks have been over .500 since Flagg arrived last fall. It was also the first home win for first-year coach Dusty May. The Thunder fell to 4-1.

Flagg Ran the Show

Flagg went 10 of 23 from the field and 4 of 4 at the line in 33 minutes and finished plus-12. The eight assists are what stood out. Dallas piled up 30 assists on 46 made baskets and turned it over just nine times, and Flagg's eight led the team. P.J. Washington added 18 points and nine rebounds.

Seeing a second-year player run an offense this cleanly against a team that came in unbeaten is the kind of thing that makes Mavs fans believe this rebuild is ahead of schedule.

Kyrie Is Back Home

Kyrie Irving scored 15 points, 13 of them in the first half, when he hit his first four shots, including three threes. It was his first regular-season home game since March 3, 2025, when he tore the ACL in his left knee. He sat out the home opener last week on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Mavericks hit a season-best 16 threes on 45 attempts, with 11 coming in the first half. Even center Daniel Gafford got one, his first three in eight NBA seasons on his 2,384th career shot.

Kyrie knocking down his first four shots in front of the home crowd felt like a long time coming for everyone in that building.

The Thunder Were Running on Fumes

Oklahoma City played without Jalen Williams (broken leg, dislocated ankle), Cason Wallace (torn labrum), Chet Holmgren (patellar tendinitis in his right knee) and Alex Caruso (patellar tendinitis). It showed from deep. The Thunder went 5 of 32 from three, a season-worst 15.6 percent, and Dallas led by as many as 27 in the fourth quarter.

Ajay Mitchell led OKC with 29 points on 12 of 20 shooting. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 21 but needed 19 shots and finished minus-21. Isaiah Hartenstein added 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Thunder fans knew a night like this was coming with that many bodies in street clothes, and Mitchell stepping up is the one bright spot to hold onto.

Smacktok Pick Lean

Lean higher on Flagg's assists when Dallas hosts the Houston Rockets on Friday. He handled the ball for 33 minutes, and led the team with eight assists against zero turnovers. Dallas ran its offense through him on Wednesday, and that role is not going anywhere.