Like the new kid at school who gets bullied by the older kids, sometimes the best advice a parent can give involves consequences — fight back and stand up for yourself, suspensions be damned. The Oklahoma City Thunder might need to apply that mindset against PJ Washington in their next matchup against the Dallas Mavericks.

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.

In a matchup of depleted rosters, the Oklahoma City Thunder suffered a 106-98 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. The Thunder were without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.

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.

Dallas improved to 23-19 while Oklahoma City remain top of the West with a 34-7 record. Read more at straitstimes.com.