Cooper Flagg Scores 26 as the Mavericks Rout the Thunder 120-96 and End Oklahoma City's Perfect Start
Dallas did not just beat the NBA's last unbeaten start — it ran it off the floor. Cooper Flagg's 26 points, eight assists and five rebounds led eight Mavericks in double figures in a 120-96 rout of Oklahoma City, which was trying to open 5-0 for a third straight season, something no team has ever done.
The Oklahoma City Thunder came to Dallas chasing a piece of NBA history. They left with their first loss. The Mavericks beat the Thunder 120-96 on Wednesday night, ending Oklahoma City's bid to become the first team in league history to begin three consecutive seasons 5-0.
Cooper Flagg ran the night for Dallas: 26 points, eight assists and five rebounds. P.J. Washington added 18 points and nine rebounds, and the Mavericks put eight players in double figures — the kind of balance that turns a statement game into a rout.
Oklahoma City was short-handed and it showed. The Thunder played without Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso, and leaned on Ajay Mitchell, whose 29 points led all Thunder scorers but could not keep the game within reach.
For Dallas, the win is the early season's loudest result: not an upset on a buzzer-beater, but a 24-point dismantling of the team that had set the league's early pace. For Oklahoma City, the perfect start is gone at 4-1 — and the history it chased will wait at least another year.
