Game Grades: OKC Thunder survive a thriller in Dallas

The Oklahoma City Thunder survived a fourth-quarter ambush to beat a Western Conference foe.

The Thunder beat the Dallas Mavericks 126-120 after rebounding from a crushing run in the fourth quarter. The Mavericks went on a 30-0 run in the final frame after trailing by as much as 24.

The OKC Thunder survive after a late rally saves them from disaster.

In the Mavericks’ 30-0 run, they caught fire from beyond the arc. Seth Curry and Luka Doncic led the charge for them in the fourth.

Doncic led Dallas in scoring with 36 points, but rookie Dereck Lively II played a vital role in Dallas’ comeback bid. Lively made some big buckets to put Dallas in a position to win.

Along with that, Lively went for 20 points, 16 rebounds and seven blocks while not missing a shot.

But the Thunder’s hot shooting before the fourth quarter did enough for them. The Thunder shot 20-of-44 from beyond the arc and used the outside shot to consistently fend off Mavericks runs in the first three quarters.

Dallas’ lead reached six in the final minutes before Oklahoma City made some stops and got some scores to take back the lead. From there, a couple of stout possessions defensively put the game away.

While the Thunder prevailed in the end, the Mavericks’ big run showed some weaknesses for the Thunder to address. They will get that chance with another game in Texas against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.