The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 6 of the first round on Friday night, setting up the Oklahoma City Thunder's next opponent.
OKC will face the Mavericks, a red-hot team that has beaten the Clippers by double digits in three of their four wins, including a 30-point victory in Los Angeles.
Much of the attention heading into the second round will be on Dallas' two big men. Daniel Gafford and Derek Lively IIfor Chet HolmgrenEach team's ability to shoot 3-pointers could be an even bigger factor in determining who qualifies for the Western Conference Finals.
During the regular season, the Thunder had the highest 3-point percentage of any team in the NBA, shooting 38.9% from long range. Oklahoma City was in the middle of the pack in 3-point shooting, ranking 16th in the league with an average of 34.2 shots per game from beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks had the second-most 3-point attempts in the NBA during the regular season, shooting 39.5 from deep per game. Dallas ranks 13th in the league in 3-point percentage, with the team converting 36.9% of its attempts from beyond the arc.
This trend continued with Oklahoma City in the first round of the playoffs, where the Thunder dominated the New Orleans Pelicans by making 34.3 3-pointers per game and hitting 38.7 percent from triples. In their 4-2 Game 1 win over the Clippers, the Mavericks attempted 34.8 3-pointers per game and shot just 33.5 percent.
Even without a great series from beyond the arc, Dallas' defensive effort and ability to involve the center in the offense helped lead them to a victory over Los Angeles, who was missing a game. Kawhi Leonard For most of the first round. moreover, kyrie irving He had a great performance against the Clippers, scoring over 30 points in three of the six games in the series.
If the Thunder can consistently hit more 3-pointers than Dallas in the second round matchup with the Mavericks, OKC will have a good chance of qualifying for the Western Conference Finals. .
Dallas may have veteran experience on the roster and good size on a lower-tier team;Mark Daigneault's the team should be able to catch up Luka Doncic If Oklahoma City can continue to connect with 3-pointers like they did in the first round and throughout the regular season, they'll have more guys.
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