Tell me if you’ve heard this one before.
An NBA team is missing its superstar and can’t figure out how to cope, losing to a team they were expected to defeat handily.
Yep, it happened to the Oklahoma City Thunder Friday night at American Airlines Center.
They played for the first time this season without superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Maybe they should have consulted the Mavericks for advice on how to handle life without your MVP candidate.
At any rate, the Mavericks took advantage with Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie and P.J. Washington leading a relentless charge at the end of the first half and then showing great fourth-quarter resolve that fueled a 106-98 victory over the Thunder, who have by far the best record in the Western Conference.