Mavericks vs. Thunder: Game 1 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 NBA Playoffs
The Oklahoma City Thunder cruised to a 108-70 Game 1 win over the Dallas Mavericks in Saturday night's Western Conference first-round showdown at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
According to ESPN.com's Royce Young, the 38-point win was the largest in Thunder postseason history. Furthermore, the Mavericks' 70 points represented a new franchise low for a playoff game, per ESPN Stats & Info.
Russell Westbrook finished with 24 points and 11 assists, marking the ninth time he's topped 20 points and 10 dimes in a playoff game, per Basketball-Reference.com. The Thunder also posted a team-best plus-39 scoring margin with Westbrook on the floor.
His partner in crime, Kevin Durant, was steady with 23 points (7-of-15 shooting), five assists and five rebounds in just 27 minutes.
Serge Ibaka chipped in with 17 points, nine rebounds and three blocks to help pace the Thunder on a night when they collectively shot 45.0 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from three-point range and out-rebounded Dallas 56-33.
Dallas, on the other hand, featured just one double-figure scorer. Dirk Nowitzki led the way with 18 points, but no other Mavericks player finished with more than eight points or three made shots.
Matched up against a Thunder team that finished the regular season with the NBA's second-ranked offense in terms of efficiency (109.9 points per 100 possessions), the Mavericks needed to be locked in from the game's tipoff.
However, an offense lacking firepower stumbled, and the Thunder pounced on a golden opportunity to take a quick double-digit lead. By the time the first 12 minutes had elapsed, Oklahoma City owned a 15-point lead and had held Dallas to 5-of-24 shooting from the field.
Of course, season-long trends indicated that shouldn't have been a big surprise. En route to capturing the Western Conference's No. 3 seed, the Thunder boasted the league's second-best scoring differential (plus-3.1 points) in first quarters. Dallas, on the other hand, ranked 24th with an average first-quarter scoring differential of minus-1.0.
Beyond Durant and Westbrook, Enes Kanter owned Dallas' overmatched frontcourt below the free-throw line, according to the Oklahoman's Anthony Slater:
Whether he was mauling Dallas on the glass or diving to the rim and receiving passes in the pick-and-roll, Kanter (16 points, 13 rebounds) repeatedly found success Saturday evening, as the Thunder's official Twitter account documented:
The only consistent source of offense the Mavericks could count on was Nowitzki, who scored 14 of the team's 33 first-half points. Nowitzki accounted for five of Dallas' 11 made field goals over the game's first 24 minutes as the Mavericks entered halftime facing a 26-point deficit.
SB Nation's Mike Prada broke down the tactics Oklahoma City employed to produce the lopsided result:
Offensive struggles were one thing, but the Mavericks' inability to stay in front of Westbrook and Durant on pick-and-rolls—which the following highlight from the first quarter exemplifies—gave Oklahoma City a bread-and-butter offense it could turn to every time down the floor:
Dallas took another hit at halftime, when Young reported point guard J.J. Barea wouldn't return because of a groin strain.
With Barea out, Dallas' fortune didn't change. Oklahoma City's lead ballooned to 30 points midway through the third quarter, and that hefty margin allowed the Thunder to rest their studs for much of the second half.
In other words, Saturday night was a double whammy for Dallas. Not only did the Thunder take a 1-0 series lead and secure a 77 percent chance to advance, based on historical trend data provided by WhoWins.com, but they were also able to get Durant, Westbrook and Co. some extra rest thanks to the gargantuan nature of their victory.
When Game 2 tips off Monday evening at 8 p.m. ET (on TNT), the Thunder should be focused on trying to deal another crippling blow to the Mavericks' psyche before the scene shifts to Dallas for Games 3 and 4.
Postgame Reaction
Despite blowing Dallas out, Oklahoma City head coach Billy Donovan pumped the breaks and tried to maintain perspective following the win, per Young:
And as NBA TV documented on Twitter, Nowitzki used the same approach to try and keep Dallas' spirits positive:
However, there was no denying the Mavericks looked overwhelmed, as head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters, per NBA on TNT:
"We've got to show pride," Nowitzki added, according to ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon. "We obviously got embarrassed tonight."
The Thunder, though, looked like a force to be reckoned with for a variety of reasons.
"It wasn't just tonight that everyone was locked in, it was the two days of practice prior," Randy Foye said, according to the Oklahoman's Anthony Slater.
"We did a good job sticking to the game plan," Thunder center Steven Adams said, per the team's official Twitter account. "We put a contest on every shot."
Stats courtesy of NBA.com unless noted otherwise.
