The Dallas Mavericks picked up an impressive win on Wednesday night, knocking off the previously undefeated Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC may be dealing with a lot of injuries, but they still have the two-time reigning MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The win puts the Mavericks back above .500 for the first time in over 600 days. It came from a great game plan, as Dusty May placed a big emphasis on pushing the pace against a team that was depleted, but it helps to have players to throw at SGA.
Zaccharie Risacher is seeing a career revival with the Mavericks. The Atlanta Hawks essentially gave him away for free, with the Mavericks only sending back a second-round pick and Ryan Nembhard, who is now on a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets.
Maybe the pressure of being the first pick is gone, or he finally feels belief from an organization, but Risacher has been incredibly impressive defensively.
Through five games, he has already totaled 9 blocks and 9 steals, being amongst the leaders in total stocks in the NBA.
Risacher held SGA to 1/5 shooting when he was guarding him, including this wildly impressive sequence where he ripped the ball away on a drive, then blocked him from behind in transition.
Overall, Gilgeous-Alexander was 7/19 from the field and 1/6 from three. He only had the one turnover, but he also only had two assists.
The Mavericks did a great job of showing bodies when SGA would go to drive, but they also did well to defend without fouling, even if he was gifted a pair of free throws after very minimal contact from Max Christie, and Dusty May couldn't challenge in time.
Oct 28, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots over Dallas Mavericks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) and guard Marcus Sasser (8) during the second half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Zaccharie Risacher's offense can be a struggle, but he had an impressive outing against the Thunder on Wednesday night: 13 points and 6 rebounds, shooting 5/6 from the field and 2/3 from three.
Entering the game, he had been just 3/17 from three, but he's showing the flashes. He had a nice shot-fake, side-step three and cashed it last night.
It may help that the Mavericks have already picked up his team option on his rookie contract, so they plan to keep him for at least this season and next. That can do a lot for the confidence of a young player.
The Mavericks believe there is still a lot that Risacher can unlock offensively, and he looks capable of making an All-Defensive team at the end of the season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/mavericks/onsi as Mavs' Zaccharie Risacher Could Be On All-Defense Path After Clamping Thunder's SGA .
