DALLAS – Thunder wing Abdel Nader grabbed Hamidou Diallo by the shoulders, said a few words and gave them an encouraging pat.
With sweat glistening on his forehead, Diallo headed to the bench midway through the third quarter, in foul trouble. But the work he had done guarding Mavericks star Luka Doncic in an eventual 107-70 loss marked his first start of the preseason as an overall success.
It did not affect the final result of the Thunder’s second preseason matchup with the Mavericks. Dallas pummeled OKC as the Thunder’s offense went stagnant without Chris Paul and Steven Adams.