Mavericks silence Thunder

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Kyrie Irving scored 25 points as the Dallas Mavericks brought the high-flying Oklahoma City Thunder down to earth with a 106-98 victory over the Western Conference leaders on Friday.

Oklahoma City, riding high after their rout of Eastern Conference pace-setters Cleveland on Thursday, suffered just their seventh defeat of the season in a roller-coaster duel against a fired-up Mavericks.

Irving was at the heart of the Mavs win, rattling in 17 points in a 41-point second quarter that allowed Dallas to open up a 64-43 half-time lead.

The Thunder, who were missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with a wrist injury, came roaring back to draw level in the third quarter before edging into a single-digit lead.

But the Mavs, who are still without the injured Luka Doncic, regrouped superbly to close out the win, outscoring the Thunder 29-22 in the fourth quarter to seal victory.

Dallas improved to 23-19 while Oklahoma City remains top of the West with a 34-7 record.

Dallas coach Jason Kidd saluted his team’s resilience in securing victory after watching a 20-point lead evaporate in the third quarter.

“We were flat in that third quarter,” Kidd said. “We said on the bench we needed to stay the course, and stay together and in the fourth quarter we did.

“We feel like we have a talented team, and they have a talented team. So I thought tonight was a really good test for our group.”

Elsewhere Friday, Jimmy Butler returned for Miami after serving a seven-game in-house suspension but was powerless to prevent the Heat from slumping to a 133-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Nikola Jokic bagged his 17th triple-double of the season, finishing with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a comfortable victory for the 2023 National Basketball Association (NBA) champions.

Jamal Murray led the Denver scoring with 30 points on a night when seven Nuggets players finished in double figures.

Butler, who was suspended by Miami after indicating he wished to leave the club earlier this month, finished with 18 points.

In Boston, Jayson Tatum scored 30 points as the NBA champion Celtics shrugged off their heaviest loss of the season to outclass the Orlando Magic 121-94.

Boston, dominated 110-97 by lowly Toronto on the road on Wednesday, showed no signs of a hangover to complete a comfortable home victory at the TD Garden.

In San Antonio, Santi Aldama scored 29 off the bench as the Memphis Grizzlies overwhelmed Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs 140-112.

Spurs star Wembanyama produced another big defensive performance with six blocks and a steal with 12 rebounds. But the Grizzlies’ balanced offense proved too strong for the home side, with six players finishing in double figures.