Mark Daigneault took the Thunder’s loss against the Mavericks in stride

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Dallas Mavericks beat their head coach Mark Daigneault and the Oklahoma City Thunder for the second time in six days. After a 106-98 win last Friday, The Thunder lost to PJ Washington 121-115 and the Mavericks. Washington finished with a double-double (22 points, 19 rebounds). At the same time, Oklahoma City rallied from a double-digit deficit in the final frame, but never got going.

Jalen Williams (33 points), Shai Giljus-Alexander (31 points) and the Thunder nearly erased a 13-point second half deficit (80-93) in the final frame to pull within two (102-100) with 5:29 left. in the fourth quarter. Then, the Mavs went on a 10-4 run. After the game, Daigneault praised Dallas performance.

“Give them credit. They outplayed us most of the night … they outplayed us with every lineup tonight,” Daigneault said. “They were the better team.” They were the aggressor, especially in the second half.

After the break, the Mavericks outscored their opponent 61-53, extending their lead to double digits before the final frame. Then, Dallas kept Oklahoma City at bay in the final minutes with efficient shooting and offensive execution.

“When it came down to offensive pressure, they did a better job of attacking our pressure than we did attacking them,” Daigneault added. “So they deserve to win.”

Spencer Dinwiddie scored a team-high 28 points, including 3-for-6 from deep. Kyrie Irving added 24 points, including four 3-pointers, and Washington connected on a pair from behind the arc on one end of the floor while finishing with three steals and two blocks on the other.

Dallas’ two wins against Marc Dagneault and the Thunder are the only losses Oklahoma City has handed in eight tries. With Thursday’s win, the Mavs went 3-1 on the season against the Thunder.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on PJ Washington in Thunder loss

Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was voted the starter for the All-Star Game next month. The NBA announced the starters before tip-off on Thursday. Then, after the loss, Gilgeous-Alexander tried to explain why Mavericks forward PJ Washington was able to turn in a great performance in a six-point loss.

Gilgeous-Alexander couldn’t understand why Washington seemed to play at a higher level against the Thunder.

“I don’t know, I don’t know,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I guess he’s getting up for it.” I don’t know.”

After finishing with 16 points and five assists in last Friday’s game in Dallas, Washington took his game to new heights as a key catalyst in Thursday’s victory at the Pike Center. Maybe it’s a potential preview of what’s to come if these two teams meet in the postseason.