Stats Rundown: 4 stats to know from the Mavericks 98-96 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder

Oct 6, 2022 - 4:30 AM

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The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 98-96 to begin the preseason. Generally, I would tell you preseason does not matter, but since the Mavericks won with Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Tim Hardaway Jr, Javale McGee and Davis Bertans, clearly the Mavericks are a juggernaut that no one in the league will be able to contend with.

The Mavericks shot a lot of threes, few free throws and played pretty solid defense. That plus a healthy portion of Doncic led the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals last season. Here are the stats to know.

21: Number of points scored by Jaden Hardy

Hardy looked good flashing the ability to shoot off of movement and create his own shot. There were a few growing pains as he committed four turnovers but this was a fantastic first game for the rookie. Preseason games for second round picks are about showing confidence and flashes. Hardy showed an abundance of both tonight.

5: Number of shots Josh Green took in 23 minutes

Green played a solid game with nine points, four assists and two steals, but it would be fun for him to do more. With all of the Mavericks out tonight, this felt like an opportunity for Green to show some flashes like Hardy. They are completely different kinds of players and Green’s game will never be based on his ability to create his own shot but he needs to believe he belongs with the best players in the world. That means believing he is better than the competition he faced tonight.

All of that being said, this was a very positive start for Green as he made four of those five shots and showed a nice ability to move the ball despite four turnovers of his own.

16 and 13: Number of points and rebounds for Christian Wood

Wood showed some of the talent that has fans salivating at the thought of pairing him with Doncic. He made half of his four threes and over half of his shots from the field. He also used his length to chip in 13 rebounds though it would have been nice for him to chip in a block or steal as defense remains the primary question mark facing him this season.

42: Number of threes the Mavericks took as a team

The Mavericks made it a point to get up more threes than their opposition last year and if this game is any indication, nothing will change this year. The Mavericks shot 10 more threes than the Thunder resulting in 21 extra points from the three point line. That will generally make for a more analytically friendly offense.

Overall, this was a fun game and a good return to action for the Mavericks as everyone who suited up came out of the game healthy and happy. Dorian Finney-Smith did not score but he is well passed the point of needing to prove himself in the preseason. The Mavericks came out victorious which makes for a great return to the court.

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