That loud noise that can be heard from across the NBA universe occurred after fans saw what the Dallas Mavericks did to the
highly respected Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday afternoon.
With newcomers Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington making an auspicious debut, the Mavs completely dominated the Thunder, leading wire-to-wire and winning in smashing fashion, 146-111. In claiming their fourth straight victory and padding their record to 30-23, the Mavs hit Oklahoma City with some thunder and lightning and put the NBA world on notice, signaling that they’re going to have to be seriously dealt with come playoff time.
In particular, Gafford and Washington, acquired in separate trades Thursday, performed like they’ve been with Dallas all season. Gafford scored 19 points and pulled down nine rebounds in just 17 minutes, and Washington added 14 points and five rebounds in 24 minutes.
“They were great,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “Offensively and defensively, they didn’t seem nervous.
“In the first quarter we set a franchise record for 47 points in the first, and that let everybody know that everybody is comfortable and excited about having those two as a part of the team. I thought it was a great team win from start to finish.”
Washington and Gafford entered the game at the same time – with 5:23 remaining in the first quarter – and were greeted with a thunderous standing 
ovation. They also wasted very little time in having an impact.
On consecutive trips up the floor, Gafford scored on a lob dunk via a pass from Luka Dončić, and also scored on another lob dunk off a long pass from the other side of the court from Dončić. Not to be outdone, Dončić then fed Washington for a lob dunk and a 34-15 Mavs lead with 4:05 left in the first quarter.
“It just felt good stepping on the court and hearing the crowd and hearing the cheers,” said Gafford, who was 7-of-11 from the field and added a game-high tying four offensive rebounds. “It kind of fueled the energy that I had throughout the game.
“I’m pretty sure P.J. felt great, because him being back home (where he played at Frisco Lone Star High School) and me being so close to home (in Arkansas) it just feel like I got drafted by this team. I had a lot of fun.”
So did Washington, who was 6-of-10 from the field in 24 minutes.
“I was tired, I am not going to lie,” he said. “I am just excited, though. I have been excited since the trade went through. I am just happy to be here and happy that we got the W.
“I was trying to keep the game simple and not try to do too much. The guys trust me, so I just have to go out there and be myself.”
Dončić was definitely himself again slicing his way through the OKC defense and doing what has made him one of the world’s greatest
players. At one point in the game, OKC had 13 points – and Dončić had 13 of the Mavs’ 28 points.
Without even playing in the fourth quarter, Dončić finished with 32 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, while Kyrie Irving contributed 25 points, six boards and eight assists. Also for the Mavs, Maxi Kleber had 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Jaden Hardy tossed in 11 points on 4-of-5 shots.
Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander paced the Thunder (35-17) with 25 points, six rebounds and five assists, Richardson native Cason Wallace scored 15 points and Chet Holmgren had 13 points and 12 boards.
It wasn’t much fun for the Thunder, who trailed 71-62 at the half, 110-89 after the third quarter and by as much as 41 points (146-105) late in the game.
“Obviously, (the Mavs are a) great offensive team with a lot of shot-making, they just rise up and make a shot,” OKC coach Mark Daigneault said. “But you know, that’s why you got to take out the easy stuff, and I thought they were able to get a lot of easy stuff, especially early, and that compounds when you have that plus a really good shot-making team.
“Credit them, they were sharp today with great juice and energy. They were clearly the more ready team to play and deserved to win.”
And make no mistake about it. This wasn’t the Mavs beating Philadelphia without Joel Embiid, as they did on Monday. And this wasn’t beating a very subpar Brooklyn team, as they did Tuesday.
And this wasn’t beating the New York Knicks sans All-Stars Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle and two other starters, as they did Thursday. This was the Mavs destroying a highly-regarded OKC team that was well rested after not playing since Tuesday, and an OKC team that rode into town carrying the third-best record in the entire NBA.
Thus, to hand the Thunder their worst loss of the season – after the Mavs flew home from New York on Friday – that says a lot about what transpired.
“They hadn’t played in four days and we just come off that East Coast trip and played at 2 o’clock,” Kidd said. “We’ll get a break at some point – in March. And that’s fine. We’ll take it in March when it comes.
“We’re going to try to do our best to win a championship. That’s what we’re here to do.”
Gafford, meanwhile, received his second standing ovation in the third quarter when he out-fought three Thunder players for a rebound and was fouled on the play. Then, he collected another ovation a short time later when he grabbed an offensive rebound, scored, was fouled, and completed the three-point play which put the Mavs out front, 110-89.
“Playing with guys like Luka and Kyrie and all the other guys that were on the floor, it just felt like I was already part of the mold,” Gafford said. “Being on the opposite end, looking at these guys, when it comes to our pregame stuff and how to defend these guys and so on, seeing what they get throughout the game, playing against us, it just feels like I already know.”
As a whole, the Mavs shot a sizzling 58.2 percent from the field and 38.2 percent (15-of-38) from three-point territory. They also hammered the Thunder on the boards, 54-40.
“Everybody was telling me that I was going to get a lot of open shots, but I didn’t realize it until I was out there,” Washington said. “Playing with Luka and Kyrie, they made the game a lot easier for me.
“They did that for Gafford too. Just being out here was great and I am just glad we got the win.”
Kidd, meanwhile, was already thinking about the endless possibilities he has at his hands, especially when Dereck Lively II and Dante Exum return from the injury list.
“There’s a lot of good options here, and we’re going to work through it here before the (All-Star) break, and then after the break,” Kidd said. “But it’s good to have these options. We didn’t have these options earlier.”
Kidd also gave a nod to the sellout crowd.
“I thought the crowd was great, especially for a 2 o’clock game,” he said. “We do have the best fans. I think the fans were great, they were excited to have P.J. and Gafford, and I think those two were excited to be here.
“We’re just trying to make it seamless. They did their part in making it seamless, and so we’re excited for them to be a part of the Mavs.”
X: @DwainPrice
Share and comment