Mavericks use a third-quarter surge to beat the Thunder 97-87 in Summer League

The Dallas Mavericks got the kind of Summer League result they are searching for at this stage of roster evaluation, running past the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-87 on Thursday at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Arena. The win marked Dallas’ second victory of the summer and followed an early stretch that stayed competitive before the Mavericks pulled away late.

According to the game recap, Dallas took control in the third quarter, outscoring Oklahoma City enough to create separation that held up through the final period. The final margin was 10 points, 97-87, after a run that turned what looked like a balanced matchup into a second-half story for Dallas.

Two notable absences stood out in how the Mavericks looked in this specific game. The recap noted that Morez Johnson and Ryan Nembhard did not play, but Dallas still managed to produce the execution needed to win at a venue better known for major events than for NBA teams’ first looks at their developing rotations.

Summer League often functions as a live laboratory for evaluating pace, shot creation, defensive effort, and the ability to play with different lineups in short bursts. With Johnson and Nembhard unavailable, Dallas had to lean on other combinations, which matters for a team trying to understand how its depth pieces handle larger responsibilities.

While this article focuses on a handful of statistical takeaways from the matchup, the key takeaway that carries forward is Dallas’ ability to win the third quarter, the phase where Summer League games frequently swing as substitutions settle and matchups narrow. Oklahoma City remained in the game early, but Dallas sustained enough consistency after halftime to close the door on a late push.

For the Thunder, the loss is less about any single performance and more about what it suggests for ongoing development. Teams in this part of the calendar typically treat each contest as data collection, especially when opponents are experimenting with different lineups and roles.

Going forward, Dallas’ next Summer League opportunities will be an early test of whether the third-quarter improvement in this game was tied to a specific lineup matchup or whether the Mavericks can reproduce the same kind of separation when Johnson and Nembhard return to the mix, if they do, and when other rotations evolve.