DALLAS — Despite taking the court with their leading scorer from last season in the starting lineup for the first time in exhibition play, the Dallas Mavericks still weren’t at full strength Tuesday night in their fourth preseason outing.
Sliding both 13-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki and reserve guard Devin Harris into the lineup for the first time, the Mavericks looked to move to 2-2 in preseason play. However, while facing an Oklahoma City Thunder team that ended their 2015-16 season during the first round of the playoffs, the Mavericks continued to play shorthanded by giving starting swingman Wesley Matthews and reserve sharpshooter Seth Curry a scheduled night off. Meanwhile, the Dallas bench was further handicapped as backup big men Salah Mejri (right knee surgery) and Quincy Acy (right foot injury) rehabbed their respective aches and pains.
Still, with a total team effort after four of their five projected regular-season starters played in the first half, the Mavericks (2-2) held off the high-octane Thunder (1-2) for a 114-109 home victory.
“It was a good first half. And then the guys in the second half, you’ve just got to give them a lot of credit,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said after the win. “They just battled and found a way to win the game. You know, it’s important to win home exhibition games. We want to establish that we are going to be a hard team to beat in our building.”
Inserting Nowitzki and undersized guard J.J. Barea into the first unit, Carlisle opted to stick with center Andrew Bogut, fellow newcomer Harrison Barnes and three-time All-Star point guard Deron Williams in the starting lineup. The Mavs then tried to make amends for Saturday’s 88-74 loss to Milwaukee. But despite a fast start from Barea with seven of the team’s first nine points, the Mavericks found themselves in an early hole.
An empathic, and-one connection from Williams to backup big man Dwight Powell soon sent the momentum Dallas’ way, however, igniting the hometown crowd at the same time. Bogut’s between-the-legs assist to Williams for a three-pointer followed a short time later, giving the Mavs a 19-11 advantage. And despite Thunder guard Russell Westbrook’s relentless attack on the rim, the Mavericks took a 29-20 advantage into the second quarter behind Barea’s 11 points in the opening period.
Handing the scoring duties over to Williams as the second stanza got underway, the Mavs kept their foot on the gas. Nowitzki also joined the fun, helping the Mavericks build a double-digit lead early in the second period.
Second-year standout Justin Anderson took matters from there, swishing a three-pointer to beat the shot clock before sneaking in for a score inside. Bogut’s feed to a cutting Harris gave the Mavericks a 44-29 lead the next time down, forcing the Thunder to regroup with 6:49 in the half after calling a timeout.
“I felt good,” Harris said after scoring four points, grabbing two rebounds and dishing two assists in less than 11 minutes during his preseason debut. “I was able to cut and get to my spots, and I didn’t get too winded out there. You know, I thought the 10 minutes I played were pretty solid for me and something to build on.”
Bogut also supplied the defense, sending back scoring attempts by Thunder big man Enes Kanter and guard Victor Oladipo to highlight the quarter. The 7-footer’s first-half stat line of four points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three blocks then lifted the Mavericks into the intermission with a 56-42 advantage.
Leading by as many as 20 in the first half, the Mavs leaned on Barea’s 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting to connect on 45.2 percent from the field. Meanwhile, the Dallas defense held the Thunder to 34 percent shooting at the other end of the floor, forcing eight turnovers and holding a 29-25 rebounding edge behind Bogut’s dominant first half.
“I thought Bogut was great,” Carlisle would later say. “Not a lot of scoring, but a huge impact at both ends. You know, the rim protection, the charges taken, the rebounding and starting our break, and then he’s really an unusual playmaker at the center position on offense. Just really an amazing feel for the game, vision, and he’s just a very, very unique player.”
Seeing enough from his top contributors in the first half, Carlisle rested his veterans and turned to a lineup of summer-league standout Jonathan Gibson, Anderson, Argentine swingman Nicolas Brussino, undrafted rookie Dorian Finney-Smith and Powell inside. The young lineup then attempted to keep Westbrook and the hard-charging Thunder at bay, relying on the outside shooting of Brussino in the quarter.
But not even Brussino’s 11 points in the period would be enough to keep the Thunder from slicing into the Dallas lead as sharpshooter Anthony Morrow got hot. Morrow’s shooting then brought the Thunder even on the scoreboard, 82-all, entering the fourth period.
Continuing to empty his bench as the fourth quarter got going, Carlisle tried to finish off a win with his roster hopefuls. Former LSU guard Keith Hornsby did his best to keep the Mavericks in front, assuming the scoring duties and getting into a rhythm from the outside during the early minutes of the period.
Second-round draft pick A.J. Hammons lent some assistance, swishing a jumper from near the top of the key to put the Mavs up 100-99 with 4:33 left on the game clock. Gibson also came up clutch when the Mavericks needed him most, converting a three-point play with 1:43 remaining to put the Dallas team up 107-104. And after Gibson’s up-and-under score kept the lead at three with 43.9 seconds left, C.J. Williams’ breakaway slam and Hornby’s timely free throws officially closed the door on the Thunder for the night.
Scoring 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, Powell led the Mavericks while grabbing seven rebounds off the bench. Barea pitched in 15 points in the first unit, connecting on 5 of 8 from the field. Meanwhile, Hornsby pitched in 12 points off the bench as the Mavs finished with five scorers in double figures. Williams and Brussino added 11 points apiece. Nowitzki also debut with eight points on 3-of-6 shooting in 16 minutes of work.
“I thought it went well with Dirk,” Carlisle concluded. “You know, we had Barea in there to start the game, so it gave us a little bit more penetration and playmaking, which just opens up the floor a little bit, and I thought he and D-Will played well together. I wanted to push those six guys — the five starters and then Harris — to really get their wind going, ’cause we’re off tomorrow. And Dirk hasn’t played in a game and Harris hasn’t played in a game, so I thought everybody did a good job.”
Ersan Ilyasova led the Thunder with 19 points off the bench, connecting on 7 of 11 from the field. But the Mavericks outshot the Thunder for the game, 46.5 percent to 40.6 percent, overcoming a 54-52 rebounding deficit as both team committed 15 turnovers for the game.
“We’re still learning,” Harris concluded. “We still need to find our identity, especially offensively, and how we want to play. The game got a little bit fast paced for us, and I think that’s a little bit faster than we want to play. But I thought that was a good start for us.”
Note: The Mavericks will now travel to Phoenix for their fifth preseason matchup on Friday night. The game will tip off at 9 p.m. CT, airing locally on 103.3 FM ESPN.
The Mavs return home to host the Houston Rockets at American Airlines Center next Wednesday night. The game will tip off at 7:30 p.m. CT, airing locally on TXA 21 and 103.3 FM ESPN. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting Mavs.com, or by calling (214) 747-MAVS.
Injury updates:
Salah Mejri (right knee surgery) — out
Quincy Acy (right foot injury) — out
Wesley Matthews (rest) — out
