Kyrie Irving scored 25 points, Spencer Dinwiddie and P.J. Washington Jr. added 16 apiece and the Dallas Mavericks beat Oklahoma City 106-98 as Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed his first game of the season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder fell behind by 20 points at halftime, then started the second half on a 26-to-6 run to get back in it, before losing at Dallas 106-98 on Friday night at the American Airlines Center.

That decision forced the Thunder to stick close to the Mavericks' role players throughout the first quarter. Once Washington scored the first five points, Irving asserted himself and drained a 3-pointer before finishing at the basket with a finger roll to give the Mavericks an early 10-0 lead.

The Oklahoma City Thunder put forth a supreme effort on the front end of a back-to-back set, and they will look to play just as well on the second side when they visit the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.

Both Dallas and OKC were missing MVP candidates on Friday night, but the Mavericks were able to get a much-needed victory.

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Meanwhile, the Mavericks (22-19) have struggled without Luka Doncic. They've lost three in a row. They suffered an embarrassing loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday. Daniel Gafford had 27 points and 12 rebounds.