Short-handed Thunder falls to Mavericks 127-106

The Oklahoma City Thunder couldn’t slow down the Dallas Mavericks in a 127-106 loss Monday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

The Mavs (24-21) cruised, shooting 53% with 30 assists on 51 makes and just eight turnovers. The Thunder, who played short-handed, explored its roster but scored just 43 points in the second half and never delivered an answer for Dallas stars Luka Doncic or Kristaps Porzingis.

Doncic scored a game-high 25 points (9-for-17) with seven assists, while Porzingis scored 20 (9-for-15) with nine rebounds and five helpers. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 19 points (6-for-10) off the bench.

The Thunder (19-27) was without star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who continues to nurse a case of plantar fasciitis, as well as defensive stopper Luguentz Dort, who entered concussion protocol following a loss to the Celtics Saturday. Darius Bazley was also out with a shoulder contusion he suffered in practice just after the All-Star break.

Six players scored in double digits for OKC, including rookie Aleksej Pokusevski with 21 points (8-for-17). Svi Mykhailiuk, who made his first start for OKC, scored 16 points (7-for-10), rookie Theo Maledon chipped in 14 (4-for-13), and Isaiah Roby scored 12. Moses Brown, who signed a four-year contract before the game, scored six points (1-for-5) and grabbed nine rebounds.

Oklahoma City’s four-person second unit of Kenrich Williams, Josh Hall, Tony Bradley, and Ty Jerome combined for 37 points on 13-for-22 shooting. Bradley made his Thunder debut with eight points and five boards.

The Mavericks played 14 players compared to OKC’s nine and put up 18 more three-point attempts. The Thunder turned the ball over 16 times and missed 12 free throws.

The Thunder looks to bounce back Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors (18-28) in a four-game homestand finale.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. C.T.