Oklahoma City Thunder (47-15) beat Dallas Mavericks (21-39) 100-87 on the road on Sunday, March 1 in a low-scoring game: just 187 combined points between the two teams.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Thunder struck first, taking the opening quarter 36-25 and a 11-point lead after one. The Mavericks cut into the deficit with a 24-22 second quarter, though the Thunder still led by 9 at halftime.
The Thunder won the third 25-20 to create some separation, taking a 14-point lead into the fourth. The Mavericks took the fourth 18-17; the Thunder held on for a 100-87 regulation win.
What decided it
The Thunder took better care of the ball, turning it over on 8% of possessions compared with 17% for the Mavericks. The Thunder got more from their shots, finishing at 48.9% effective field-goal shooting compared with 44.1% for the Mavericks. Those extra possessions were crucial.
The Mavericks did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 18.8% against 14.9%. The Thunder made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 100 possessions per team, the Thunder produced 100.2 points per 100 possessions to 87.2 for the Mavericks.
Who made the difference
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the game's biggest individual force for OKC: 30 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast, 4 stl on 12-20 shooting. His Game Score of 25.3 led everyone. His team was +13 with him on the floor.
Caleb Martin led the Mavericks with 18 pts, 3 reb, 0 ast on 6-11 shooting, good for a 11.6 Game Score.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Thunder about a 77% chance.
Across the last 6 meetings in our records, the series is even.
The Thunder are now 47-15, and the Mavericks are 21-39. The Thunder last five before this game: W-W-W-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.