FILE – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder reacts during the second half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on December 29, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images/AFP
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 120-109 victory over the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
The Mavericks were without Luka Doncic, who missed the game with left ankle soreness a night after recording a triple-double. Dallas is now 0-4 this season without Doncic in the lineup.
The Thunder have won three of their last four, averaging 128 points per game, while the Mavericks have dropped two of their last three.
It took Gilgeous-Alexander some time to get going Sunday, but he had 10 points in the first quarter and then exploded for 17 more in the third to help Oklahoma City pull away.
Another Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 30 piece tonight:
33 PTS
5 REB
5 AST
W⛈️⛈️⛈️ pic.twitter.com/Y343DvV5fV
— NBA (@NBA) January 9, 2023
The Thunder led by as many as 16 points early, but the Mavericks cut the lead to as little as six at the 9:41 mark of the final period when Frank Ntilikina drained a jumper.
But the Thunder answered with a 19-7 run that included a pair of Josh Giddey 3-pointers assisted by Gilgeous-Alexander.
Gilgeous-Alexander was 11 of 17 from the field with five rebounds and five assists. Giddey finished 2-for-4 from beyond the arc and is shooting 45.9 percent from deep over his last 12 games.
Luguentz Dort added 18 points for the Thunder.
Christian Wood led the Mavericks with 27 points, going 8 of 13 from the floor. Spencer Dinwiddie added 21 points.
After shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc in the first half, the Mavericks were just 4-for-19 from distance in the second.
The Mavericks led by double digits less than five minutes into the game, jumping up 18-7 with the help of five 3-pointers.
Oklahoma City closed the first quarter with a 13-3 run to trim their deficit to one.
The Thunder then seized control in the second with a 20-2 run that gave them a 66-50 lead. Dort and Eugene Omoruyi combined to score 11 of the final 13 points of the surge.