Mavericks Beat Thunder 120–96: Cooper Flagg Scores 26 in Dallas Win

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Mavericks vs. Thunder final score and Cooper Flagg stats

DALLAS, October 29, 2026 — The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 120–96 on Wednesday at American Airlines Center, handing Oklahoma City its first loss of the young NBA season. Cooper Flagg finished with 26 points and eight assists, while P.J. Washington added 18. The NBA's official game page confirms the score, quarter splits and key performances.

Dallas improved to 3–2, while Oklahoma City fell to 4–1. Ajay Mitchell led the Thunder with 29 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21. The Mavericks outscored the Thunder in every quarter, turning a six-point halftime advantage into a 24-point win.

How Dallas' three-point shooting decided the game

The sharpest contrast was behind the arc. Dallas made 16 of 45 three-point attempts, while Oklahoma City converted only five of 32. That 11-make gap is worth 33 points before accounting for the rest of the offense, more than the final margin of 24. It does not mean every three caused the win, but it identifies the clearest measurable separation.

Dallas also recorded 30 assists compared with 17 for Oklahoma City, according to the independent game-stat summary. The combination of ball movement and perimeter makes forced the Thunder to defend multiple options rather than one dominant scorer.

Transition points and the second-half separation

The official NBA game charts show Dallas scoring 17 fast-break points while Oklahoma City had none. The Mavericks also led in bench scoring, 43–19. These margins gave Dallas additional offense even when half-court possessions slowed.

The quarter scores show how steady the control was: Dallas led 33–30 after one, 65–59 at halftime and 94–81 after three. A 26–15 final period stretched the lead. The Mavericks' biggest advantage reached 27, and they never had to rely on a single last-minute run to secure the result.

How injuries affected the Thunder rotation

Oklahoma City entered the game short-handed. The NBA's game report identifies extended absences for Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace, with Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso also unavailable. Those losses reduced the Thunder's rotation options, but they do not erase the shooting and transition advantages Dallas created on the floor.

Mitchell's 29 points offered a productive individual response, and Gilgeous-Alexander added 21, but the Thunder struggled to generate enough scoring support. Their 5-for-32 three-point performance was especially costly against a Dallas team that kept making outside shots.

Why the result matters for Dallas and Oklahoma City

Flagg's 26 points and eight assists reinforce his value as both a scorer and an organizer of the offense. Kyrie Irving contributed 15 points in his first home regular-season appearance since a March 2025 knee injury, according to the game recap on NBA.com. Dallas' larger takeaway is that several contributors combined to produce a balanced offensive night.

For the Thunder, this is a first loss, not a verdict on the season. The immediate questions concern rotation depth and whether the team can recover its usual perimeter efficiency as injured players remain out. The final score and team statistics are verified; predictions about individual return dates would go beyond the available official information.

Sources and verification

NewsTrendus reviewed these official records and independent reports on October 29, 2026. This article is original reporting and analysis based on attributed facts, not a reproduction of source articles.

• NBA — Thunder at Mavericks October 28 official game recap and charts
• NBA Official — replay-center scoring review from the game
• Chirp Sports — independent game box-score statistics

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