Anthony Davis and the Dallas Mavericks opened their preseason Monday with a matchup against the OKC Thunder. The retooled Mavs, which included Cooper Flagg, the 2025 No. 1 pick, tested their progress against the defending champs. With several key OKC contributors sidelined, Dallas entered as a slight favorite.Davis scored the first points of the game with a dunk off a nifty pass from former LA Lakers teammate D’Angelo Russell. AD added a 3-pointer a few minutes later behind another assist from Russell. After a fast start, Mavs coach Jason Kidd sent in Jaden Hardy midway through the first quarter to relieve Davis.AD returned with roughly two minutes left to help his team take a 29-20 lead. He contributed five points, five rebounds and one assist.Cooper Flagg, Max Christie and P.J. Washington allowed Davis to take a backseat on offense in the second quarter. The Mavs' two-way dominance allowed them to take a 66-40 halftime lead.Like the starters, Anthony Davis sat out the second half following the Dallas Mavericks' comfortable advantage after two quarters. The second-stringers and a few on two-way contracts closed out the game against the Thunder.PlayerPTSREBASTSTLBLKTOFG3-PT FGFT+/-Anthony Davis7710213-51-20-0+4Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg opened game against Thunder with highlight reel connectionAs expected, Jason Kidd started the game by featuring the highly anticipated partnership of Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg. Right off the bat, the two led the Dallas Mavericks on both ends of the floor.The first highlight play of the game began after Flagg soared high to block Isaiah Joe's layup. D'Angelo Russell, who grabbed the rebound, raced to the other end to lead the fastbreak attack. The point guard kept looking at the rookie who sprinted on the left side. At the last moment, Russell threw the ball up to streaking Davis, who ran opposite of Flagg. Russell's misdirection worked like a charm as Anthony Davis ended the sequence with a rim-rattling two-handed jam.