Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu's rare vertical leap and highlight-reel dunks have made him the biggest storyline of the Mavericks' Las Vegas summer league run.
Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu threw down 5 highlight-reel dunks Thursday, and the Dallas Mavericks rode that first-quarter eruption to a 97-87 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Dallas has won two straight and improved to 2-2 in Las Vegas. The Mavericks close out summer league tonight at 7:30 p.m. CT against the New York Knicks at Cox Pavilion.
Akobundu-Ehiogu needed just 36 seconds after checking in to get going, catching a lob from Sergio De Larrea for a slam, then throwing down another De Larrea feed on Dallas' next trip. He skied for a third straight dunk off a pass from Vsevolod Ishchenko on the possession after that, 3 flushes in a span of 62 seconds. He added 2 more lob finishes in the fourth quarter, including one that put Dallas up 95-82 with 2:27 left, and finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
"There's not too many passes that he can't catch," Mavs summer league coach Joe Boylan said. "That synergy between him and De Larrea is very real. When you hear players on the sideline saying 'wow' at some of those plays, it's fun to watch."
Boylan pointed to De Larrea's playmaking as the engine behind the highlight reel, saying the guard doesn't seem interested in padding his own numbers. De Larrea finished with just 2 points but posted a game-high 14 assists to go with 9 rebounds.
"I didn't score a lot, but the focus was on the other guys today," De Larrea said. "We shared the ball very well and had the advantage at the end."
De Larrea said Akobundu-Ehiogu, who has a 47.5-inch vertical and can touch the top of the backboard, kept asking for the lobs even higher.
"He told me, 'Throw it higher, higher.' I said, 'I can't throw you the ball that high,'" De Larrea said.
John Poulakidas gave Dallas another weapon, hitting 5-of-12 from three-point range for a team-high 19 points to go with a steal and a block, a bounce-back after a rough start to summer league. Darin Green Jr. added 18 points off the bench on 4-of-8 shooting from deep, Ishchenko finished with 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals, Jaden Springer scored 11 points with 2 blocks, and Tobi Lawal chipped in 10 points and 7 rebounds.
Poulakidas summed up Akobundu-Ehiogu's night bluntly: "All I can think of is what an ability God has blessed that man with."
Boylan said holding Oklahoma City to 40% shooting is the identity Dallas wants to carry forward, and the Mavericks will look to close out the Knicks on a high note.
