Player Grades: Thunder cruise by Dallas Mavericks for second-straight win

The OKC Thunder cap the weekend on a high note with a 112-99 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

After an up-and-down start to the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder came into tonight’s contest looking to pull within one game of .500. With Carmelo Anthony and Steven Adams ruled out with minor injuries, a much-needed win was going to prove to be difficult. The Thunder role players made enough plays in their absence – OKC came away with a 112-99 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Poor shooting and lack of energy was the theme to start the game as the Thunder scored only 18 first quarter points. The second period wasn’t much better, but the team did come away leading 44-42 at the half. If it wasn’t for a much more energized second half, we could be talking about another deflating Thunder loss.

With a third of the “OK3” and a half of the QuatrOKC out for tonight’s game , it was up to Russell Westbrook and Paul George to lead the way. They finished with a combined 64 points and were the reason OKC pulled away in the 3rd period. It’s encouraging to see George assimilate to this offense more and more each game.

The Mavericks came into this game tied for the worst record in the league and their effort level was apparent throughout the game. No matter the opponent, a win for the second consecutive time has got to feel nice for this Thunder squad. This could be just the beginning of a much longer streak if they keep up this level of play.

Enough with the chit-chat, let’s get on with our player grades.