Despite shutting down Cooper Flagg, the win over the Dallas Mavericks revealed several offensive struggles for OKC that need to be addressed. It was a game that turned up and down, especially with the Thunder leading the whole game.
The Oklahoma City Thunder avoided a nuclear meltdown in their 101-94 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. The defending champions led by as many as 22 points before going scoreless in the final stretch of the game. Isaiah Hartenstein would save the day with the final two buckets for OKC, allowing them to escape with a 4-0 record.
Thunder’s Struggles Show Despite Cooper Flagg’s Worst Game
The Thunder merely faced a Dallas team missing its key players in Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II. Sure, the Thunder aren’t at full strength as well. But what would you expect when it comes to the defending champs? Nothing but the best. So when their offense shows up some issues, fans and critics definitely get concerned.
What Oklahoma City Did Right in the Win
Sure, the Thunder vs. Mavericks showdown seems to be a rivalry now, so this year’s No. 1 pick underperforming is quite tough. Cooper Flagg was struggling mightily from the field, shooting 1-9 for the whole game, including 0-3 from three. That’s a disappointing performance, but it’s because the Thunder hounded him all day long.
Chet Holmgren was the main catalyst in that regard, as he attacked the rookie for most of the night. That resulted in a massive poster slam, and even one play where Flagg attempted a dunk over the Thunder center. Of course, both ended up as a “Welcome to the NBA” moment for the Duke product. An injury suffered earlier in the game held him back, and he even had a heat wrap on it whenever he sat on the bench.
CHET HOLMGREN DUNKS ON COOPER FLAGG
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 28, 2025
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Perhaps what the Thunder did right for most of the game was hold on to their composure. OKC knows that teams are hunting them, and getting their second wire-to-wire win in a row is a good sign of improvement. However, that doesn’t mean they finished the game without some hiccups.
Where the OKC Struggles Were Exposed
Many of the tough losses the Thunder suffered last season were blown leads. There are times that OKC struggles on offense, mostly because the scoring runs dry. Of course, this is an issue for almost every team, but for a squad like Oklahoma City? It shouldn’t be.
We’ve already seen how the Thunder are struggling when they’re not at full strength. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander usually leads the way, but when he sits down or Chet Holmgren is resting, everything dries up, too. This is what we saw in the win against Dallas. The Thunder missed shots they’d usually make. Many point-blank misses really hurt them, especially after a massive third quarter run.
The Mavs are on a 25-4 run and have cut the Thunder lead to 1
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— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 28, 2025
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In fact, Oklahoma City missed 10 shots before Hartenstein made their first basket at the 2:52 mark. Even Ajay Mitchell, who is said to be the spark for the team with Jalen Williams recovering from his wrist surgery, was missing every basket there. Sure, one can say that it’s all about making shots, but it’s the tendency of the Thunder to get complacent whenever they get up by double digits in the game.
The Thunder blew a total of 13 double-digit leads last season. Five of those were in the fourth quarter. Interestingly, that’s the least blown leads total in the NBA last year. While they are gunning for a historic season, coughing up leads should not be in their identity anymore.
How Can the Thunder Address These Issues?
This one’s a simple matter: maturity. The Thunder are the defending champions, alright. However, one can easily forget that they are the sixth youngest team in the league as well. Maturity comes in hand with in-game mentality. OKC’s struggles mostly stem from the team being complacent whenever they get to a comfortable lead.
Well, the team has had a good grasp of that experience in blowing leads during the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers. Let’s just hope that the team continues to understand the game further. After all, they are heading into their second week of the 2025-26 season, so there’s much to improve on for OKC.
If anything, this is a chance to always learn from their mistakes. So far, we have known the Thunder to have a knack for that, especially off losses. So if they can do that, how much more can we expect them to improve by learning from their wins as well? A whole lot of growth.
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