The Dallas Mavericks bounced back from a three-game losing streak, including a controversial loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night. OKC entered the game tied for the NBA's best record and had just beaten the other team with the top record by 20 points.

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 and the Dallas Mavericks went toe to toe on Friday in the American Airlines Center and once again proved that these two teams have no love lost between them - They are the next great NBA rivalry.

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder by a final score of 106-98 on Friday night. Kyrie Irving, who did not play on Wednesday due to a lumbar back sprain, returned on Friday and scored 25 points to go along with five assists and five rebounds.

T he short handed Dallas Mavericks (23-19) bested the short handed Oklahoma City Thunder (34-7) 106-98 in an intense matchup Friday night in Dallas. Kyrie Irving led all Mavericks