The Oklahoma City Thunder lost 106-98 against the Dallas Mavericks Friday night. Oklahoma City trailed by 20 at halftime and managed to take a two-point third-q

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 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.

Get real-time NBA basketball coverage and scores as Oklahoma City Thunder takes on Dallas Mavericks. We bring you the latest game previews, live stats, and recaps on CBSSports.com

This affiliate content is not influenced by our advertising relationships, but AP and Data Skrive might earn commissions from our partners’ links in this content.

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

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.