On Tuesday night, Western Conference heavyweights Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks clashed in the NBA Cup quarterfinals. At halftime, the Thunder held a narrow 57-54 lead.
Dallas started strong, racing to an 8-0 advantage behind Kyrie Irving’s five points and stifling Oklahoma City’s offense. However, the Thunder quickly responded with a 15-1 run, fueled by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s timely scoring and two three-pointers from Luguentz Dort. Oklahoma City maintained their momentum, ending the first quarter ahead 32-24. Luka Doncic struggled, shooting just 1-for-5, while Gilgeous-Alexander dominated with 16 points.
The second quarter was tightly contested, with both teams exchanging blows. Late triples from Kenrich Williams helped OKC regain a slim lead. By halftime, Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 18 points, while Williams contributed nine off the bench. Dallas relied on Naji Marshall, who provided a spark with 14 points off the bench.
The winner of this matchup will face either the Rockets or Warriors in the next NBA Cup round. Meanwhile, the losing teams will meet on Sunday. In the Eastern bracket, Milwaukee defeated the Orlando Magic and awaits the winner of the Hawks-Knicks showdown.
The Thunder and Mavericks return for the second half on TNT, with both teams eyeing a place in the next round.
