Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: Postgame Grades and Analysis
Compared to their activity in the final hours of the NBA trade deadline, the Oklahoma City Thunder's Thursday night victory over the Dallas Mavericks was hardly the team's hot story of the day. Nonetheless, the Thunder's 104-89 rout of a presumably playoff-bound Western Conference squad shouldn't be overlooked as Oklahoma City attempts to move into the West's top tier in the second half of the season.
Dallas struggled with its shot from the start and lost the rebounding battle 62-39.
While they showed signs of life in the final period after being trounced in the opening three, it wasn't enough to overcome Oklahoma City, who rode Russell Westbrook's 34-point game to the win.
After playing catchup for the first half of the season, the Thunder finally moved into the playoff picture with the dominant victory.
| Kevin Durant | B- |
| Russell Westbrook | A+ |
| Serge Ibaka | A |
| Anthony Morrow | B+ |
| Rest of Team | C- |
| Dirk Nowitzki | D |
| Rajon Rondo | D+ |
| Monta Ellis | C- |
| Tyson Chandler | C |
| Rest of Team | B- |
Oklahoma City Thunder
Kevin Durant: B-
Kevin Durant opened the game hot, scoring and distributing effectively. He slowed down from there, though, finishing with just 12 points and five assists. He shot 4-of-14 from the field as Westbrook took over as the Thunder's alpha dog.
He was limping visibly throughout the night and ultimately left the game in the late fourth quarter for good.
Even so, he left his mark on the win with his first-period production, which set the tone for the Oklahoma City victory.
Russell Westbrook: A+
Between Durant's quiet night and Russell Westbrook's own success, there's little question as to which All-Star was OKC's frontman Thursday night. Westbrook, normally in attack mode from start to finish, managed his speed much better against Dallas, resulting in a 10-assist night that featured a balance of driving-and-kicking and classic court awareness.
That's not to discount his effectiveness off the drive. Westbrook scored 34 points, with 14 coming from the line—a direct result of his tenacity going to the rim. He was the team's leading scorer and the primary reason behind the win.
Even so, Westbrook's night featured far more versatility than audiences were used to, proving that he can be both the dynamic scorer and the classic floor general to carry Oklahoma City alongside Durant.
Serge Ibaka: A
The Thunder abused Dallas on the glass, thanks in no small part to Serge Ibaka's rebounding hustle on both ends of the floor. He finished with a career-high 22 rebounds, with seven coming on the offensive end, While Dirk Nowitzki may not be a major threat on the boards, the extent to which Ibaka outplayed Dallas' 4 is still remarkable.
Offensively, Ibaka—who had begun shooting more from long range—found himself playing a more central role in the paint with the interior less crowded. He didn't shoot once from beyond the arc.
Ultimately finishing with 21 points, Ibaka carried his squad from the paint on both ends of the floor, playing a crucial role in creating a rebounding differential while also providing the team with a necessary scoring spark.
Anthony Morrow: B+
With Reggie Jackson on his way to the Detroit Pistons, per Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, Anthony Morrow was thrust into a bigger role in the second unit. Tying his season-high in shot attempts, the sharpshooter scored 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting.
Even if his contribution was limited to his scoring off the bench, Morrow was crucial to the team's ultimate success, offering the shooting spark normally provided by Jackson and Dion Waiters, the latter having struggled in his time on the court.
Rest of Team: C-
Nobody else scored double-digits for OKC, with starters Nick Collison and Andre Roberson shooting a combined 3-of-16 from the floor.
Mitch McGary continued to show flashes of growth, while Dion Waiters recovered from his slow start midway through, ultimately posting eight points.
In the end, though, the victory can be attributed to the team's stars as well as Morrow's effort off the bench.
Dallas Mavericks
Dirk Nowitzki: D
Nowitzki's struggles against top-tier Western Conference teams continued against OKC, as the All-Star veteran failed to find an offensive groove from the start, missing the vast majority of his jumpers and going 6-of-16 from the field.
He offered little else to compensate for his shooting struggles, being outplayed on the boards by a shorthanded Thunder frontcourt.
Rajon Rondo: D+
Rajon Rondo's return from injury was hardly ideal, but it looks far worse on the stat sheet than it actually was.
He struggled to put the ball in the basket; however, a good portion of his seven misses (he shot 2-of-9 from the floor) were from mid-range, where few expect him to score at a high clip. As a whole, he was hesitant to shoot the ball, passing up shot opportunities whenever he had the chance.
Though he posted just five assists, his teammates were largely at fault for dropping passes and missing open looks.
Even so, it was an ugly night overall for the Mavs' floor general, whose offensive struggles were accompanied by an inability to contain Westbrook on the other end.
Monta Ellis: C-
When Dallas' stars struggle to score, the rest of the team generally follows suit. With Dirk slumping, the Mavs needed Monta Ellis to step up. Big time.
A quick glance at the box score is enough to reveal that he didn't. Instead of carrying Dallas through its rough offensive stretch, Ellis made just two of his 13 field goals tries—with his first make coming in the game's opening minute.
While he added six steals, there was little redemption for Ellis, whose poor individual play weighed down the entire team.
Even Tyson Chandler—who rarely ventures out of the key—couldn't avoid the Dallas shooting bug. Though his 40 percent clip from the floor isn't terrible, it's hardly what the Mavs have come to expect from their center.
He was hardly dominant on the defensive boards either, posting just six in the losing effort.
However, it wasn't all bad from Chandler, who also added seven offensive rebounds. In the end, he failed to step up as the team's defensive anchor and, despite not struggling quite as much as the other starters, didn't bring all that much to the table either.
Rest of Team: B-
The team's fifth starter, Chandler Parsons, was equally awful from the floor. Shooting 25 percent on 12 attempts, he did little to snap the team's collective slump.
Though he added seven rebounds—second only to Chandler—it's hard to acknowledge his performance as anything but detrimental.
The bench was noticeably better than the starting unit, with Devin Harris posting 13 points shooting (believe it or not) over 50 percent from the field. Al-Farouq Aminu didn't score the ball at a great clip (2-of-8 from the floor), but he provided excellent defense on Durant when the Mavs made their fourth-quarter push.
Charlie Villanueva and J.J. Barea combined to post 18 points, each shooting 50 percent from the field as well.
Up Next
In the teams' upcoming slates of games, their respective rosters will continue to be filled as recently acquired players settle in.
Oklahoma City has one day of rest before visiting the Charlotte Hornets in a game that may very well see the insertion of Enes Kanter, Kyle Singler, D.J. Augustin and Steve Novak into the lineup.
Dallas, meanwhile, will play again on Friday. They'll host the Houston Rockets in a battle of two of the league's most offensively reliant contenders. However, the Mavs' newest face, Amar'e Stoudemire, will sit out again, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon, as he familiarizes himself with his new team's strategies on both ends of the court.
