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 West Orange, N.J. native and former St. Patrick High School star was left off the list of reserves despite a brilliant season in which he’s averaging 24.2 points, 4.9 assists and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 48% from the field and 42% from deep.