Chet Holmgren's historic season came to an end on Saturday when the Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Dallas Mavericks 117-116 in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals in Dallas, Texas.
The former Gonzaga men's basketball standout battled foul trouble for most of the night, finishing with a series-high 21 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals in 35 minutes. Holmgren made 9 of 15 from the field, including five dunks, but missed 6 of 7 3-pointers. His impact on defensive ends was most evident when he wasn't on the floor, changing shots at the rim and competing for rebounds.
OKC, which led by as many as 17 points, outscored Dallas by eight points when Holmgren was on the floor, but early foul trouble limited the 7-footer's minutes in the first half. After being benched for three fouls at the 8:30 mark of the second quarter, the Mavericks got back-to-back points from Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic and went on a 7-0 run. Dallas then benched Holmgren and rattled off to a 10-0 scoring run after falling behind by 14 points.
When Holmgren was on the floor, he provided what OKC needed on both ends of the floor. A backdoor cut on the baseline and a fierce dive to the rim after setting a ball screen led to an alley-oop dunk. He slipped a screen to create an advantage on the backside, opening up his teammates' eyes. All while contesting layup attempts and fighting under the rim with Derek Lively II on nearly every shot attempt from the outside.
Dallas' 7-foot-1 rookie struggled in the elimination game, scoring 12 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. With less than five minutes left in the fourth set, the former Duke standout broke past Holmgren for a tough layup to put the Mavs ahead 103-101. He then drew Holmgren's fifth foul in a scramble for a rebound.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had eight assists and led all scorers with 36 points. Santa Clara native Jaylen Williams had 22 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, including a deep 3-pointer from near half court as the first half buzzer sounded.
Despite the performance of OKC's young stars, the Mavs won with Irving and Doncic combining for 52 points and Derrick Jones Jr. adding 22 points. After trailing by as many as 17 points, Doncic put Dallas in front for the first time in the second half. He hit a midrange jumper at 3:39 of the fourth quarter. Jones, known as a high-flying, athletic wing, knocked down a highly contested jumper over Holmgren's outstretched arm to make it 115-110 with 1:11 left in regulation.
Holmgren put OKC back on top with 20.1 seconds left on Gilgeous-Alexander's alley-oop. The Thunder almost forced a Game 7, but Gilgeous-Alexander was picked up for a shooting foul on P.J. Washington and made 2 of 3 free throws to make it 117-116. Holmgren grabbed the missed free throw and made it to Williams, but the three-quarters of the court didn't collapse.
And so Holmgren's historic rookie season came to an end. While helping OKC secure the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, Holmgren became the first player in NBA history to finish a season with at least 200 assists, 190 blocks (most for a rookie this century), and 129 3-pointers. became. According to Sportradar, Holmgren has been named the most impactful rookie of the past five seasons due to his unparalleled versatility.
Holmgren also etched his name in the record books in his first postseason appearance. In his playoff debut against the New Orleans Pelicans, he had 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks, a figure only matched by Shaquille O'Neal, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, and Kevin Kenner. . A few nights later, Holmgren scored 20 points in the first half, marking the first rookie in over a decade to become the first rookie in OKC franchise history to score at least 25 points and grab five rebounds in the playoffs.
