On January 18, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, and the Lone Ranger team played at home to the Thunder. The Lone Ranger briefly led by 22 points in the third quarter, but the Thunder scored 22-2 to chase down two points. The two teams continued to fight in the final quarter, and in the end, the Lone Ranger narrowly defeated the Thunder 104-102, winning all three of their three encounters (four times in total) so far this season. After this game, the Lone Ranger won 3 consecutive games and the Thunder suffered 2 consecutive losses.
Field data
Lone Rangers: Doncic has 20 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists, and has a triple-double for the sixth time this season, shooting just 4 of 17 in the athletic war. Smith had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Porzingis had 13 points and eight rebounds, Brunson had 14 points, Hardaway had 12 points and Powell had 10 points.
Thunder: Alexander 34 points, Dort 18 points and seven rebounds, Gidey 10 points.
The Star of the Field
Doncic contributed a triple-double, and although his shooting percentage is not high, his performance is still comprehensive.
Highlight moments
Doncic assisted teammates with an empty dunk
Doncic scores on offense
Alexander Europe Step
Game replay
In the first quarter, Porzingis scored five points to start with the Lone Ranger, and Dort scored three points for the Thunder. Porzingis and Kléber blossomed inside and out, and the Lone Ranger led 10-3. The two teams competed, and the Thunder chased a difference of 2 points. The Lone Ranger pulled away under Doncic, and after Powell hit both free throws, the Lone Ranger led by 10 points. Doncic made two free throws and Dort made two free throws. The first quarter ended with the Lone Ranger leading 33-24.
Entering the second quarter, Dort and Gidey broke through successively, Porzingis jumped a shot, and Hadaway received a dunk in the air. Alexander led the Thunder to continue chasing points, Earl broke through and scored, and the Thunder trailed by one point. Smith scored four points in a row, Doncic hit both free throws to assist Powell's air-to-air dunk, and the Mavericks hit a 12-2 attack wave. At the end of the first half, the Lone Ranger led 53-42.
Yi Bian fought again, the two teams continued to compete, Doncic hit two free throws, Porzingis dunked, and the Thunder blossomed more. Smith and Hardaway each hit a three-pointer, Porzingis made a layup, Smith hit another three-pointer, and the Mavericks led by 22 points on a 13-0 run. The Lone Ranger offense suddenly lost power, Alexander and Gidey played each other, and the Thunder led them to a 22-2 attack wave to chase only 2 points. Burke hit three points to stop the bleeding, Alexander hit both free throws, Doncic also made two free throws, and the third quarter ended with the Lone Ranger leading 77-72.
In the final quarter, Doncic took consecutive free throws, Brunson scored four points in a row, Hardaway and Wiggins scored three points, and the Lone Ranger led by seven points. Alexander and Muscala blossom inside and outside, doncic breakthrough, Nilikina also bloom inside and outside. The Thunder continued to chase points, and after Alexander's dunk, they trailed by only three points. Hardaway hit a three-pointer for the Mavericks, Dort grabbed a quick-break dunk, and in the final two minutes, the Thunder trailed by four points. Brunson hit both free throws, and Mann made two more for the Thunder. The Lone Ranger missed the offense, Alexander scored in the last 25.6 seconds, and the Thunder trailed by only two points. The Thunder resorted to foul tactics, hardaway two free throws and one shot, leaving the game with only 20 seconds left. The Thunder made a fatal mistake, Doncic made a steal and assisted his teammates to score, and Alexander also made a fast attack, and the Thunder trailed by 3 points in the last 9.5 seconds. The Thunder continued to foul, Brunson hit both free throws, and the Thunder also trailed by two points in the final 3.5 seconds with three points. The Thunder fouled again, Green missed two free throws, and the Thunder had the ball in the last 2.6 seconds, but Hardaway completed the steal. In the end, the Lone Ranger narrowly won.
Both teams started
Lone Rangers: Doncic, Porzingis, Smith, Kléber, Brunson
Thunder: Dort, Alexander, Earl, Gidey, Bezley