The Dallas Mavericks snapped a three-game losing streak with a clutch 106-98 home victory over the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, who came in with an impressive 34-7 record. This win moves the Mavericks to 22-20 halfway through the NBA regular season.br br Both teams were shorthanded—Dallas played without Luka Dončić and Dereck Lively II, while OKC missed MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who sat out his first game of the season. Despite being questionable with a back injury, Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 25 points, stepping up when the Mavs needed him most.br br Dallas started strong with a 10-0 run, forcing an early OKC timeout. The Mavericks ended the first half up by 20, but OKC fought back, erasing the deficit in just eight minutes before falling short in the final stretch.