One of 82.
Mark Daigneault downplayed the significance of Thunder vs. Mavs in the NBA Cup. Shocker, right? Declaring one game more significant than another would be a blasphemous contradiction to the Thunder’s “zero and zero” mantra.
But anyone with an emotional pulse/memory of last year’s I-35 playoff series/curiosity as to why the court was blue knew this was no ordinary Tuesday night in December.
OKC’s 118-104 rout of Dallas was the rare regular-season statement game. A game the Thunder needed. Less because of the NBA Cup — that’s cool and all — but more because of the opponent.
The Mavericks have been the Thunder’s kryptonite. Dallas ousted OKC in the conference semifinals last May, and no matter what the standings say, the Mavericks remain the Thunder’s biggest threat out West.
“They came out the West last year, I guess which means they were the best Western Conference team,” said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, reluctant in stating a fact.
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SGA sensed the heightened stakes. Tuesday night had the feel not of a playoff game, but maybe 70% of a playoff game. Part of it was the NBA Cup. With the win, the Thunder is headed to Las Vegas for a semifinal game Saturday against either the Rockets or Warriors. But most of the energy at Paycom Center stemmed from Luka Dončić and the Mavs being in town.
The confluence of the two factors made for a big-time atmosphere.
Chet Holmgren, owner of the world’s largest set of crutches, sat near the bench for the first time since suffering his hip injury. Behind Holmgren, general manager Sam Presti stood at the entrance of the Thunder’s tunnel, his regular spot. But the normally reserved Presti cheered like any other fan — even scoffing at a few calls that didn’t go the Thunder’s way.
“Tonight felt like there was a little more at stake,” SGA said. “With that said, if it wasn’t a Cup game tonight we would’ve definitely come out with the same sense of urgency and intensity. The court would’ve looked a little bit different, but we would’ve still tried to win the game.”
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 points. Dončić and Kyrie Irving combined for 33 points.
The Thunder outscored the Mavs by 22 points when SGA was on the floor. Dončić, meanwhile, was a minus-14.
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In Dončić’s defense, SGA didn’t have Lu Dort shadowing him for two and a half hours. The kleptomaniacal Thunder tallied 14 steals, outscoring the Mavericks 36-17 in points off turnovers.
Dallas slashed a 20-point Thunder lead in half early in the fourth quarter. In checked SGA, splashing a 3-pointer to extinguish Dallas’ hopes of a comeback.
Gilgeous-Alexander shot 5 of 9 from 3. He had eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.
SGA thoroughly outplayed Doncic. The Thunder thoroughly outplayed the Mavs.
A measuring stick game for OKC?
Daigneault was asked that in his pregame news conference.
“No,” Daigneault said. “I see it as 1 of 82 against a really good opponent. Every single night presents a different challenge but we’re not going to the team like, ‘Hey, this is a measuring-stick game.’”
Daigneault didn’t need to say it. Everyone knew it.
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Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
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