Oklahoma City came to American Airlines Center on Wednesday night unbeaten. The Thunder left with a 24-point loss, and Cooper Flagg was the main reason.
The Dallas forward scored 26 points and handed out eight assists without a single turnover in a 120-96 win. He shot 10 of 23 from the floor, made all four of his free throws and grabbed five rebounds in 33 minutes, according to the official box score. Dallas outscored the Thunder by 12 with him on the court.
Over .500 at last
The victory moved the Mavericks to 3-2, the first time they have had a winning record since Flagg arrived last fall. It was also the first home win for Dusty May, who is in his first season as coach, on his second try.
Dallas built a 12-point cushion before halftime and pushed the gap to 27 in the final period. The Mavericks hit 16 of their 45 3-point attempts, a season high, while Oklahoma City went 5 for 32 from deep, its worst showing of the season and the lowest any Dallas opponent has managed this year, The Associated Press reported.
Even Daniel Gafford joined in. The center knocked down the first 3-pointer of his eight-season NBA career, on his 2,384th shot, and finished with seven points and 11 rebounds.
Help all around
P.J. Washington finished with 18 points and nine rebounds. Kyrie Irving hit his first four shots, three of them from beyond the arc, and had 13 of his 15 points before halftime.
