DALLAS — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 14th and final game in Game 4 was his most challenging. It came on the baseline behind the backboards after a pump fake, lean-in and fadeaway, creating a narrow difference from what Gilgeous-Alexander called a “double contest.” Tim Hardaway Jr. was on his hip. PJ Washington was blocking his path to the rim. So he flew the rainbow upwards without cutting the corner.
“That's it,” he admitted. “That wasn't wise.”
here it is.
This was the first high-stakes, season-shaking night for this young Oklahoma City Thunder core in an era of contention. Leading the series 2-1, they fell into a 14-point hole in the first half, unable to solve the Dallas Mavericks' length and compact defensive scheme.
Josh Giddy was still in the starting lineup, and by the first substitution they were down 14-6. Luguentz Dort picked up two whistles in the first three minutes and was in persistent foul trouble. Guidy's original replacement, Aaron Wiggins, faced a similar Dallas strategy. They cross-matched centers to him like Guidy, clogged the paint, and dared Wiggins to burn the paint. He wasn't like Giddy or later Isaiah Joe.
The Thunder made just 7-of-27 threes as a team and 6-of-17 from inside the restricted area. They never burned the Mavericks over the top, rarely cracked the paint or challenged the rim, and even when they did succeed, they almost always failed. In 2024, this is an attack style that is inefficient and nearly impossible to produce wins.
However, the Thunder won 100-96, tying the series at 2-2 and returning to Oklahoma City. how? You've got Gilgeous-Alexander in the midrange, the entire team at the free-throw line, and a defense that has the Mavericks' two stars in a vise.
Without a clean path to the paint, Gilgeous-Alexander spent much of his time gliding to various hot spots inside the arc, picking his favorite switches and opponents (like Kyrie Irving in foul trouble). , his wiry strength generates enough space to get a clean look.
“Maybe at some point we'll have to send a double team as well,” Luka Doncic said. “He's just too good. Very good. But every shot he takes was contested.”
Below is Gilgeous-Alexander's shot plot. He took his three shots and missed one. He missed two shots inside the restricted area. He went 10-of-14 on long mid-range jumpers. He had 4 non-restricted areas painted 2 in floater range. He joins Chris Paul as the only players to be selected as a 10-man mid-ranger in a playoff game in the past five years. Per ESPN.
“He hit eight in a row or something,” Jaylen Williams said. “Some of them probably look like tough shots, though. But that's part of it. You train to take those shots. For people watching, it's like, 'Oh, he's a tough shot. It should pass.'' But those are the shots we want him to hit. ”
This is a rare chart these days.
Gilgeous-Alexander's midrange proficiency kept the Thunder within striking distance in the first half and ultimately led to enough points to put the Mavericks on the back foot. But Dallas stayed within reach as the Thunder's defense held opponents to fewer than 100 points for the sixth time in eight playoff games.
“Our ability to withstand the punch early…was huge,” Thunder manager Mark Daigneault said. “In a third quarter where they had 22 points, we held them to 15 points. … To win 7-4 with 22 points was just incredible perseverance.”
Dort attempted a razor-thin contest, weaving through traffic, flying around screens, and avoiding collisions and arm contact, wisely using up five fouls in a cautious 40 minutes, once again carrying Doncic's lead, and his feet. He helped keep a dragging, irritable, and disgruntled Dallas at bay. He reached 18 points on 6-of-20 shooting.
Irving, his Flamethrower co-star, scored just nine points on 4-of-11 shooting and didn't convert into a 3-pointer. Jaylen Williams used him for most of the game. Kayson Wallace played a great game during his team-high 19 minutes on the bench, blocking one 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.
Irving has played a controlled offense and high-octane defensive series, but has averaged only 15 points on 12.5 shots through four games. Washington still burns the Thunder, but if that's a side effect of containing Irving and making Doncic inefficient (39 percent, 31 percent shooting from three in the series), then it's the OKC defense. It's a big win for.
But as Chet Holmgren stated after the game, it wouldn't have mattered if the young Thunder hadn't completely outscored the Mavericks from the free throw line. Dallas made 12 of 23 and OKC made 23 of 24.
“Damn, did I miss one thing?” Holmgren said.
yes. Holmgren missed a free throw in the second quarter. That was an outlier. Dort had 6 of 6, Gilgeous-Alexander had 6 of 6, Williams had 4 of 4, and Wiggins had both. Holmgren made five more attempts.
That included two free throws with nine seconds left three minutes later when Holmgren sank a corner 3 to give the Thunder a three-point lead. With 10 seconds left, the lead was 2. They fouled Doncic. He went to the line and missed one of two, giving OKC a one-point lead. Holmgren was fouled on the inbounds. He hit both.
“If Luka makes that free throw, we're sitting here and a lot of things could happen,” Holmgren said.
Thunder's Chet Holmgren, who made 23 of 24 free throws: “Damn, the only one I missed?”
Were the two in his later years the biggest FT of his life? Holmgren said yes, but he decided the three free throws that tied the game against the Warriors this season were better. pic.twitter.com/Ta0V47YrdX
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 14, 2024
After Holmgren's two goals, the Thunder implemented a foul-up three strategy. Gilgeous-Alexander grabbed Washington. Washington missed one of two. Gilgeous-Alexander made two. The Thunder went up by four points and won by four, making 11 more free throws on one more attempt.
Attention now turns to Game 5 in Oklahoma City, and the spotlight will once again be on Daigneault's selection of the starting lineup. The Thunder have quickly fallen behind in their last three opener games, falling to 14-6, 11-5, and 16-7. Their starters are minus-22 in 31 minutes combined this series.
Daigneault switched on twice at half-time. He picked up Wiggins in the guiddy slot in the third quarter of Game 2. He prioritized floor spacing and put Joe in the Giddy slot to start the fourth game. Wallace is another interesting choice, as he hit two huge jumpers on Monday night and guarded Irving very well.
“I'm always looking at everything,” Daigneault said. “We made every decision we could to win Game 4 tonight. We're going to make every decision to win Game 5. That's the playoffs.”
Guidi returned for Game 4 in various lineup combinations and was part of the Thunder's run, finishing the game at plus-6.
“Josh was positive tonight,” Daigneault said. “We earned him time on the court tonight and they protect him like that all game long.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made 10 mid-range jumpers, four unrestricted area twos and six free throws in Game 4. That's 34 points without a 3 or a shot at the rim.
It also included a jumper from behind the backboard. “That wasn't wise.” pic.twitter.com/BfrKjuFkxV
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 14, 2024
(Photo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander taking a jump shot past guard Kyrie Irving: Jerome Miron/USA Today)
