Cooper Flagg scored 26 points with eight assists and five rebounds as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-96 in Dallas on Wednesday, handing Oklahoma City its first defeat of the season. Dallas led 65-59 at half-time before an 11-0 run early in the third quarter put the game beyond reach, and held Oklahoma City to just 37 points in the second half.

Flagg stars as Dallas pulls away

Flagg, 19, scored 12 points in the first quarter and finished without a turnover in nearly 33 minutes, according to Reuters. P.J. Washington added 18 points and nine rebounds, Kyrie Irving scored 15 in his first home regular-season game since March 2025, and eight Dallas players reached double figures. Dallas made 16 three-pointers while Oklahoma City managed only five from 32 attempts.

A first loss — and an ended October streak

Oklahoma City, short-handed, stayed close for much of the first half despite missing Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso. Ajay Mitchell led the visitors with 29 points, two days after a career-high 30, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 21. The Thunder shot better than 51 percent before half-time but only 30 percent after the break, as Dallas took control.

The result leaves Dallas at 3-2 and Oklahoma City at 4-1, and denies the Thunder a third consecutive 5-0 start to a season, a feat no NBA team has achieved. It also ends Oklahoma City's 15-game winning run in October, a streak stretching back to October 2023. Dallas, above .500 for the first time since March 2025, next faces Houston on Friday night.

Sources: Reuters, Associated Press.