The Thunder, without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, fall to the Mavs

Kyrie Irving scored 25 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 106-98 home victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.

The Mavericks snapped a three-game losing streak, while the Thunder lost for just the second time in their last 21 games.

Oklahoma City, which entered the game on a four-game winning streak, including a 20-point win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, was without star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the first time this season.

Gilgeous-Alexander missed the game with a sprained right wrist.

The Mavericks led by 20 at halftime, but they didn’t come away with the win.

The Thunder roared back to take a lead in the third quarter and trailed by one with 4 1/2 minutes left.

Dallas’ Naji Marshall was fouled on a driving layup and completed the three-point play to ignite a 14-4 run that put the game away.

Spencer Dinwiddie hit a pair of 3-pointers in the closing stretch to help the Mavericks hang on.

Oklahoma City, playing a lineup that was also without big men Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, trailed 63-43 at halftime after being outscored 41-17 in the second quarter.

Dallas scored 16 points off the Thunder’s eight turnovers in the second while shooting 13 of 18 from the floor (including 7 of 10 from 3-point range) in the period.

However, the Thunder roared back, holding the Mavericks without a field goal for nearly seven minutes to start the third quarter.

Dallas missed its first nine shots of the second half before Irving stopped by sinking a finger roll to end a 22-2 Oklahoma City run.

The Thunder kept coming and took the lead twice late in the third.

Marshall helped the Mavericks, scoring nine of his 14 points in the fourth to help Dallas pull away.

Jalen Williams led Oklahoma City with 19 points but shot just 7 of 22 from the floor, while Luguentz Dort added 18.

Dallas finished with 29 points off the Thunder’s 15 turnovers, while Oklahoma City hit just 17 of the Mavericks’ 17 giveaways.

–Field-level media