The Dallas Mavericks were defeated by the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-95 in the first game of the second round of the NBA Playoffs.
Both teams had difficulty scoring at the beginning, but the Thunder took the lead early in the second quarter and maintained it, while the Mavericks never managed to take the lead in the second half.
At the start of the game, Dallas guard Luke Doncic scored eight of the team's first 11 points in the first six minutes.
The two teams kept exchanging points in the first quarter, and Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made a turnaround jump shot over Doncic to put them ahead 17-14 with 3:48 left.
Mavericks guard Josh Green quickly responded with a three-point jump shot, assisted by Doncic, to even the score at 17 in less than 15 seconds.
The defensive battle intensified towards the end of the quarter, with both teams tied at 23 at the first break.
Oklahoma City guard Aaron Wiggins gave the team a boost off the bench at the start of the second quarter, scoring eight points in under four minutes.
However, the Mavericks also had a scoring spree during this time, with four different players combining for 10 points, allowing Dallas to take a 33-32 lead with 8:29 remaining in the half.
The Thunder started to perform well in terms of shooting, as Gilgeous-Alexander scored six consecutive points, leading Oklahoma City to a 46-38 lead with 4:27 left in the half.
Oklahoma City slightly increased this lead for the rest of the half, going into halftime with a 62-53 lead.
Doncic was the top scorer for the Mavericks in the first half, but he continued to struggle with his shooting, making only four of his 12 field goal attempts.
While Dallas was more efficient in shooting, Oklahoma City had 10 more scoring chances due to offensive rebounds, outrebounding the Mavericks 27-21 in the first half.
Dallas started the second half with a more aggressive approach on both offense and defense, holding the Thunder to just one made field goal out of eight attempts to begin the half.
This improved defense was coupled with better shooting from the team, as Irving and forward P.J. Washington made consecutive three-pointers, reducing the deficit to just 66-65 with 7:22 left in the third quarter.
Oklahoma City quickly responded to the Mavericks' scoring streak by making four quick threes to extend their lead to 11 with 3:58 remaining in the quarter.
The Thunder's impressive shooting continued to close the quarter, but a fallaway three-point jump shot by Irving as time expired helped keep the Mavericks within reach as Oklahoma City led 89-79 going into the final quarter.
Irving's momentum carried into the final quarter as he scored five points in the first four minutes.
However, the Thunder maintained their impressive shooting and widened their lead to 102-87 with 7:38 left in the game after consecutive three-pointers by forward Jalen Williams.
The advantage kept increasing after a 9-2 run from the Thunder, resulting in a 111-89 lead with 5:14 remaining in the game.
Dallas called for another timeout to try to slow down the strong scoring from the Thunder. They decided to replace all starters for the rest of the game.
Oklahoma City cruised secured a 117-95 win, gaining a 1-0 series lead for Game 2. Gilgeous-Alexander contributed 29 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists.
The Mavericks continued their poor shooting trend from the first series, making only 39.3% of their field goals and 34.3% of their three-point attempts.
Both teams will stay in Oklahoma City for Game 2, set to take place on Thursday at 8:30 p.m.
