Paul KasabianFeatured Columnist IIJanuary 18, 2025
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Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder 106-98 at home on Friday. The game was a rematch of the 2024 Western Conference semifinals, which saw Dallas beat OKC in six games.
Afterward, Irving said that this game was “personal” and “the start of a healthy rivalry” in his chat with reporters.
“It’s personal. I think it’s the start of a healthy rivalry,” Irving said, per Austin Veazey of Dallas Mavericks on SI.
“We’re gonna be seeing them a lot over the next few years so it’s good that you set the precedent now what it’s gonna be like… When the pushing and shoving occurs, that’s just good competitive NBA basketball that we feel is only right at this point because we gotta protect ourselves. Somebody comes into the middle of the circle, starts pushing, you know it’s gonna lead to everybody protecting themselves. It’s good. It’s healthy.”
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd seemed to agree on the rivalry front.
Noah Weber @noahweber00
Jason Kidd on if he thinks Mavericks-Thunder is turning into a rivalry:<br><br>”I think we played each other a lot here in the last couple years. It’s gonna be chippy. Guys are competing…It’s just is what it is. We played them in the playoffs, it was chippy then. It’s chippy during… <a href=”https://t.co/dzYY0bqbH7″>pic.twitter.com/dzYY0bqbH7</a>
The 34-7 Thunder are in control atop the Western Conference, but the Mavs remain their Achilles’ heel. Two of their seven losses are against Dallas, who beat OKC both times without superstar Luka Dončić.
On Friday, Dallas and OKC combined for five technical fouls and a flagrant foul on P.J. Washington in the third quarter when he committed some hard contract on Thunder center Jaylin Williams during a drive to the hoop. After the play, Irving and Thunder guard Alex Caruso had some words.
There was some back-and-forth otherwise in this game between the two teams, and the rivalry even extended into the American Airlines Center speakers.
Noah Weber @noahweber00
The Dallas Mavericks’ arena speakers briefly played “Last Time That I Checc’d” by Nipsey Hussle in the final moments of the game before defeating the OKC Thunder.<br><br>This song has tons of history between these two teams, as Dallas played this song from their locker room in November…
These two teams won’t wait long to play each other again with OKC hosting Dallas on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.
