Two Western juggernauts faced off in an epic showdown in the West bracket of the 2024 NBA Emirates Cup. The Oklahoma City Thunder, who rank first in the West, hosted the Dallas Mavericks at Paycom Center, where they captured their 18th win of the season.
These two teams previously faced off in the NBA Western Conference semifinals and it was the Mavericks who advanced with the series victory. This time, it’s the Thunder who came out on top thanks to a monster third-quarter surge that helped put the game away.
“Us OKC fans deserve it all,” wrote one fan after the game. “We waited patiently for this shii. The best team in the league otw to a Finals!”
The Thunder move up to 19-5 on the season and advance to the next phase of the tournament in Las Vegas. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 39 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists on 65.2% shooting. Jalen Williams was second with 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.
“SGA got to his spot every time… what a game from him and his teammates couldn’t miss either,” noted one X user. “Mavs missed PJ Washington’s impact, turnovers didn’t help either. Mavs are 1-5 without Washington this season.”
The Thunder were among the NBA’s top Western teams last year and they are poised to defend that title again this season with a deep roster, a brilliant coach, and one of the best superstars in the league.
“Sam Presti is a genius for building a roster of draft picks and low-risk trades and Mark Daigneault is one of the best young basketball minds out there. They did it right!” one fan wrote on X.
The Mavericks need a lot of self-reflection after this game. Pretty much everyone on the team struggled tonight, including Luka Doncic who scored 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists on 33.3% shooting. Kyrie Irving wasn’t much better with 17 points and 5 assists on 7-14 shooting.
“This Mavs game didn’t look like the team we’ve been watching for the last month,” wrote a disappointed Mavericks fan. “And that’s okay. All the traveling plus lingering sickness. They will bounce back no doubt. Not the worst way to have a minor wake-up call.”
The Mavericks are still 4th in the West after this loss but it should serve as a warning that they need to make changes in order to maximize their title chances in the West. Simply put, their lack of defensive depth makes them vulnerable against the NBA’s top-scoring teams and they’ll need something to counter it to make another serious title run.
Of course, the Thunder are arguably their biggest obstacle in the West and something says that they won’t be nearly as easy to beat this time. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and a cast of talented young stars in tow, the Thunder are poised to rule the West for years to come and when they have it going like they did tonight, they’re almost impossible to beat.
After their latest tournament win, Oklahoma City will move on to Las Vegas for the West semifinals on Saturday, December 14th. They will play either the Knicks or the Raptors. The Thunder’s next regular-season game isn’t until December 20th, when they visit Kaseya Center at 8:00 PM EST.
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