Mavericks Defeat Thunder 120–96: Final Score, Key Stats and ESPN Game Recap

Final: Dallas Mavericks 120, Oklahoma City Thunder 96. Dallas defeated Oklahoma City in their 2026–27 NBA regular-season meeting at American Airlines Center on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. Cooper Flagg scored 26 points and supplied eight assists as the Mavericks handed the Thunder their first loss of the season. Oklahoma City finished with 96 points after scoring just 15 in the fourth quarter, according to the official NBA game center.

The game had been scheduled for 8:30 p.m. in Dallas, Central Daylight Time (CDT, UTC−05:00), equivalent to 9:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT, UTC−04:00) on October 28 or 1:30 a.m. UTC on Thursday, October 29. ESPN carried the matchup on its published U.S. national television schedule. Those are scheduled tipoff details, not a claim that the ball went into play at precisely that minute. This article has been updated on October 29 to reflect the confirmed final score and postgame statistics.

Thunder vs. Mavericks: final game details

Oklahoma City was the visiting team and Dallas the home team. The venue and result appear in the NBA game center, while the NBA's published ABC/ESPN schedule and ESPN's broadcast announcement list the October 28 matchup for 9:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN. Dallas was observing daylight saving time on the game date, so its UTC offset was five hours behind UTC, rather than the standard-time offset used later in the year.

How Dallas built its 24-point win

The first half was competitive on the scoreboard. Dallas led 33–30 after the opening quarter and 65–59 at halftime. The Mavericks added 29 points in the third quarter against Oklahoma City's 22, stretching the margin to 94–81 with one quarter remaining. Dallas then outscored the Thunder 26–15 in the fourth to seal the 120–96 result. The quarter-by-quarter totals are reported by the NBA rather than inferred from a pregame projection.

Three-point shooting was a major statistical separation. Dallas made 16 of 45 attempts from beyond the arc, compared with Oklahoma City's five makes on 32 attempts. That works out to approximately 35.6% for the Mavericks and 15.6% for the Thunder. The NBA's game report identifies Dallas's 16 made threes as a season high at the time and Oklahoma City's five makes as a season low. The numbers help explain the scoreboard gap, although a single shooting comparison does not by itself establish every tactical cause of the result.

Dallas also committed nine turnovers to Oklahoma City's 13, according to the NBA's scoring summary. Possession security and the ability to turn opportunities into efficient shots were useful questions in the original preview; the completed box score now provides evidence with which to assess them. The Thunder were within six at halftime, but the Mavericks expanded their lead in both subsequent periods rather than merely holding a narrow early advantage.

Key contributors on both sides

Flagg's 26 points and eight assists led the Dallas story. P.J. Washington contributed 18 points, while Kyrie Irving scored 15, including 13 before halftime. The NBA's postgame report notes that Irving made his first four shots, three of them from three-point range. It also marked his first home regular-season appearance since his March 2025 knee injury; his return is a documented part of the game narrative, not a basis for assuming any future playing-time or health outcome.

For Oklahoma City, Ajay Mitchell scored a game-high 29 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 21. Their individual totals show that the visitors had production from leading scorers despite struggling overall from long distance. The Thunder entered the contest unbeaten in the young season but left with a 4–1 record, while the Mavericks moved to 3–2.

The NBA's postgame recap also reported that Oklahoma City was missing several players, including Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso. Those absences provide relevant roster context for interpreting the outcome. They should not be treated as proof that the result would have been different with another lineup, and the game score remains the official result regardless of who was available.

What the final numbers tell us — and what they do not

The 24-point winning margin reflects four quarters in which Dallas outscored Oklahoma City, with the most decisive separation coming after halftime. The home team led by only three after the first period and six at the break, which distinguishes this game from a contest decided immediately by an overwhelming opening run. Dallas's higher three-point output was especially visible in its final advantage, and the Thunder's 15-point fourth quarter left little room for a late comeback.

These are observations from one regular-season game, not a forecast of either team's standing later in 2026–27. The final score confirms which team won, the quarter totals establish when the margin widened, and the box score identifies major contributors. Whether the same shooting patterns or player roles persist in the next meeting requires separate evidence from future games. The updated article therefore retains useful viewing context while replacing the original unanswered pregame questions with documented outcomes.

ESPN broadcast and where to check the official result

ESPN was the designated national U.S. broadcaster for the October 28 game. The network's published Wednesday lineup paired Philadelphia at Indiana at 7 p.m. EDT (UTC−04:00) with Oklahoma City at Dallas at 9:30 p.m. EDT (UTC−04:00). That listing explains where fans were directed to watch live; the game has now concluded. Replay availability and on-demand access depend on each service's rights and subscription rules, so a prior national TV listing should not be read as a promise of unrestricted replays in every country.

For the definitive status, final score and statistical record, consult the NBA Thunder–Mavericks game center. The Mavericks' NBA schedule provides the home-team calendar, and the Thunder schedule offers the visiting team's schedule reference. The NBA's official game recap video identifies the same 120–96 final. Dallas's victory, the October 28 local game date and the October 29 UTC scheduled tipoff date describe one event, not separate games.