Hardy scores 24, but Thunder defeat Mavs, 91-80

LAS VEGAS – Going into Saturday’s summer league opener at the Thomas & Mack Center, the Dallas Mavericks knew they were battling arguably the most talented team the NBA 2K24 Summer League has to offer in the Oklahoma City Thunder.

And the Thunder certainly lived up to his billing.

When center Chet Holmgren wasn’t fighting his way to a double-double, the Thunder were busy popping in 19 three-pointers en route to defeating the Mavs, 91-80. The Mavs’ next game is Monday at 7 p.m. CT at Cox Pavilion against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Holmgren finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, and the Thunder converted 19-of-43 shots from three-point land. That includes Richardson native Cason Wallace – the No. 10 pick in last month’s NBA Draft – converting 6-of-10 hoops from long distance, including a bank shot from way beyond the half court spot that barely beat the 24-second shot clock.

“That’s a very talented team,” Mavs summer league coach Jared Dudley said. “They hit 19 threes — one of them hit off the bank.

“Our goal was to protect the paint. I thought the majority of (the OKC three-pointers) were shots that we wanted them to shoot. You can just tell that team is a well-oiled machine.”

The Mavs shots just 41.5 percent from the field and made only 9-of-31 three-pointers for 29 percent. Dudley attributes that to nerves.

“I thought offensively, you could tell they were nervous early on – timid,” Dudley said. “Not letting the game come to them.”

Jaden Hardy led the Mavs with a game-high 24 points on 8-of-18 shots. Hardy also collected six rebounds and two steals.

“Really, I was just trying to go out there and let the game come to me while playing my game and playing the right way and trying to make the right plays and get my teammates involved,” Hardy said. “I still was trying to be aggressive.

“We just kind of started off a little slow, a little nervous. I feel like as the game went on we started to play together and we started to make shots. But they went on a run.”

Mavs rookies Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper fared particularly well in their limited time on the court after practicing with their teammates for just one day. Prosper played 17 minutes and finished with seven points on 3-of-4 shots, and Lively played 16 minutes and wound up with four points and five boards.

“He’s a great communicator,” Dudley said of Lively. “I thought his athletic ability was great to see. He was getting fouled a lot.

“And I thought Omax was great. That’s a very unique team that had two (centers) that can pop. That was a big-time test for them to go through.”

AJ Lawson, who scored 11 points on 4-of-9 shots, also walked away impressed with what he saw from Lively and Prosper.

“I think Lively is going to be great,” Lawson said. “He is a long big man that can jump, get rebounds, play defense.

“He talks. That’s one thing that I realized a lot. He talks a lot on the defensive end and it helps me and the other guys get through the screens and know how to rotate.”

On Prosper, Lawson said: “That’s a strong guard. He can drive, he can shoot, he can defend one-through-four. That’s a great wing that we have right there.”

Hardy also felt the Mavs’ two first-round draft picks acquitted themselves well against the Thunder.

“They hadn’t been with us (but for just one practice session), so we’re trying to catch them back up to speed,” Hardy said. “But I feel like they did a good job out there playing hard, energy (and) having fun.

“I feel like they had fun out there. We didn’t get the results we wanted, but I feel like they enjoyed being out there.”

The Thunder led 19-15 after the first quarter, 48-42 at the half and 69-61 after three quarters. That miracle bank-shot three-pointer from beyond half court by Wallace vaulted OKC ahead, 82-69, with 5:25 remaining in the game.

The Mavs, who also got 10 points from Brandon Randolph, outrebounded the Thunder, 38-34., including a 12-9 advantage on the offensive boards.

Meanwhile, Hardy, who graduated from Coronado High School in nearby Henderson, NV, in 2021, had several family members and friends attend Saturday’s game.

“It felt good being back out here playing in front of my family and some of my friends,” Hardy said. “It just felt like (the Thunder were) making everything. You got to tip your hat when they were knocking down shots.

“I feel like we went out there and we competed, and I feel like we tried to go out there and play together and we played the right way. We’ll move on to the next game and try to win the next game.”

OKC did play two summer league games in Utah earlier this past week before playing the Mavs, thus affording them the opportunity to knock off some rust. Still, Dudley said:

“That’s just a good team. Salute to them. They have a lot of good players here.

“For us, now it’s getting back to the drawing board, watching the film. In the NBA you have another game in another day. One practice (on Sunday) and another game (on Monday) and hopefully we can come out and get a win.”

Twitter: @DwainPrice