After Ajay Mitchell's career-high 30 points led them to victory in their first game without Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, and All-Star Chet Holmgren, the Oklahoma City Thunder suffered their first regular-season loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Cooper Flagg and the Mavericks brought head coach Mark Daigneault's team back to reality, crushing the Thunder in a 120-96 blowout.

Without Wallace, Oklahoma City held All-Star Devin Booker to three points on 1-for-7 shooting but struggled to limit Flagg and Kyrie Irving's offense, and Daigneault tipped his cap after the Thunder's 26-point loss, per The Oklahoman's Justin Martinez.

“Credit Flagg with some of the shot-making. I thought we kept them out of the deep paint on a lot of those, and he made us pay regardless,” Daigneault said. “Then, Irving stabilized them early with some scoring. Then he really moved the ball and got it ahead of us out in the converages. But those guys played really well tonight. So, you tip your hat to them. There are things we can do better, but there's another part of it, which is, like, those guys rose up and made some plays.”

Without All-Defensive standouts like Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Cason Wallace, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault turned to veterans like Kenrich Williams, who started against the Mavericks, and Jaylin Williams, who got more playing time. However, he also turned to some of the Thunder's youngest players, including rookies Aday Mara, Bennett Stirtz, and Josh Dix, who played 24 minutes off the bench.

“We got a lot of new guys playing right now, and we've got guys playing different roles, which we have to invest in,” Daigneault said. “And we'll get better. We'll improve as they get those reps. It's good for them. It kind of broadens their game, and it's good for us. There's a lot of stuff we can improve. On a night that wasn't our night, we gave ourselves some chances, and then the game got away from us a little bit.”

For two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, adapting to a shorthanded roster is nothing new for the Thunder. After long stretches without players like Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Alex Caruso, and Ajay Mitchell over the past two seasons, he's confident the Thunder can bounce back, especially this early in the season.

“It hasn't been anything we haven't experienced before. It's part of the NBA. It is what it is,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Nothing more. I don't feel any more drained or more tired, or feel like it's been more taxing than any other stretch of my career. It's part of the NBA. It's early in the season.”

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The Thunder's three-game road trip continues as they face the Rockets on Saturday.