OKLAHOMA CITY, DEC 11 – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Dallas Mavericks 118-104 yesterday in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup.
Jalen Williams scored 18 points and Isaiah Hartenstein added 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Thunder, who will meet the winner of Golden State or Houston in the semifinals Saturday in Las Vegas.
Oklahoma City’s biggest lead was 20 points in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference semifinal series that Dallas won 4-2.
The Thunder and their elite group of perimeter defenders managed to limit Luka Doncic to 16 points on five of 15 attempts. Lu Dort led the effort, with Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace also playing key roles.
Naji Marshall and Klay Thompson each scored 19 points, while Kyrie Irving added 17 points for the Mavericks.
PJ Washington, who is a problem for Oklahoma City right now playoffs last season and in last month’s Dallas win, missed the game due to illness.
Oklahoma City led 57-54 at halftime with 18 points from Gilgeous-Alexander. Doncic scored just two points on one of seven attempts at the break.
Gilgeous-Alexander added 16 points on seven of eight attempts in the third quarter to help the Thunder dominate the game. Isaiah Joe’s long three-pointer at the final whistle gave Oklahoma City a 90-73 lead heading into the fourth quarter. – AP
