OKLAHOMA CITY — After a blowout loss in the series opener, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 119-110 in Game 2 to tie the series 1-1 and move on to the next two games against American Airlines. I returned to the center. series of games.
Doncic started with a 13-2 lead, and his assistants showed off their paint-scoring touches, making multiple 3-pointers as Gafford completed a lob off Doncic. While the Thunder tried to hide Gilgeous-Alexander in P.J. Washington, the Mavericks let him do the work by feeding the ball into the post, emphasizing the possibility of drawing fouls.
The Thunder began to settle into the game after holding a double-digit lead by running a downhill attack through Gilgeous-Alexander. Dallas started making a lot of mistakes, including backcourt violations and moving screen violations. Oklahoma City went into a timeout and used a 13-6 run to make it 19-15 midway through the opening period.
The Mavericks focused on getting Doncic off the ball at times, making him the focal point of the action. He spaced the floor early and made catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, but at one point Dallas ran a double-wide pindown to attack Dort on the downhill run, just before scoring on a short-range touch. Used a spin move on Drive. .
The Thunder continued to close the lead against the Mavericks to 24-22. However, Dallas continued to outscore Oklahoma City 12-8 the rest of the period. The Thunder found success in Game 1 after moving on from Josh Guidi to space the floor. Oklahoma City was trailing by eight points when they took the court in the early going, but they made a big jump after bringing in small-ball personnel. The Thunder won by 14 points after Guidi's seven-minute first half.
Oklahoma City trusted Dort to guard Doncic without double teams, but once he returned to the bench, the focus shifted to Kason Wallace guarding Doncic while applying second-half double teams. Moved. Doncic was active from the perimeter early in the game, making five 3-pointers in the first quarter, but the Thunder believed in their game plan and accepted the outcome.
The Mavericks used a full-court pass to give Holmgren a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, cutting the lead to 36-32 entering the second quarter.
The Mavericks tried to position the center as Guidi's main defender during the second quarter to disrupt Guidi's rhythm, who is not a pull-up shooting threat. Oklahoma City kept Isaiah Joe off again by subbing him and threatening spacing on the court.
A big factor in Dallas' early advantage was their hot perimeter shooting, with 12 shots from the perimeter at a 50% clip before halftime. Washington already had 19 points on five long-range shots. Doncic wasn't far behind with 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Gafford also scored in double digits with 10 points in the first half alone.
When the Thunder tried to send in late doubles, Irving frequently dished the ball to bigs in the paint, but often let the pass pass through before it could be developed. Gafford scored on a catch-and-one midway through the second quarter to give Dallas a 55-41 lead. Irving had a quiet first half from a scoring standpoint, scoring just four points, but had seven assists.
The Thunder looked set to pull the game within single digits before halftime when Gilgeous-Alexander drove the baseline after being picked up near half court against Washington. Gilgeous-Alexander did his best to cut off drives, hitting the break with a behind-the-back move and then lifting his body for a pull-up jumper. Oklahoma City fell behind by eight points.
Gafford injured his hand when he hit a block with the backboard while protecting the rim from Jaylen Williams' finishing attempt. While the Mavericks had the ball, Gafford took a while to cross halfcourt, resulting in Doncic getting two points. Doncic expected Gafford to leave the dunker spot for a screen, but ended up flipping it. Gafford then got the ball on a short roll, but lost control before the ball went out of bounds. Oklahoma City scored after both plays.
The Mavericks switched to a small-ball lineup with Washington as the No. 5, and Williams immediately attacked the rim for a dunk to end the first half. Irving stole the ball off a Thunder defensive rebound and connected with Green's catch-and-shoot for a 3-pointer, building a 68-62 advantage into the break.
Oklahoma City started the second half with Wiggins on the court in place of Guidi. As for the Mavericks, Gafford could return. Gilgeous-Alexander drew Doncic with a switch and then attacked alone for a short-range pull-up jumper to tie the game at 70-70. Dallas chose not to double because it would mean giving up a huge advantage against a five-and-out offense. Oklahoma City outscored the Mavericks 13-4 and led 75-72 going into the timeout.
With Irving being the only superstar on the court for the Mavericks, the team continued to make good progress as Hardaway scored 10 consecutive points, including a 4-point play, and earned a shooting foul on his first 3-point shot. . The score was tied 77-77 when Doncic checked out, but Dallas led by 11 at the half and led 93-84 when he returned to the floor. The emphasis was on pushing the pace and contributing to Washington's shot execution, including hitting its seventh 3-pointer in this section.
The Mavericks regained a 14-point lead after Doncic made two free throws and Derrick Jones Jr. made a quick-transition alley-oop dunk late in the third period. Oklahoma City closed the gap on a 4-0 run to build a 99-89 lead over Dallas.
Oklahoma City started the fourth quarter on a 6-0 run, benefiting from forcing a turnover and two free throws by Gafford. There could have been an injury scare when Doncic stumbled from behind and appeared to care about it before taking a step-back 3-point shot. He continued to play after that, but after a ball watch, he allowed a backdoor cut against the Thunder's small ball group.
The Thunder put the Mavericks up 4-on-3 by blitzing Doncic while focusing on shrinking the floor while pre-rotating weakside spacing options when Irving attacks after a Doncic screen. I often got myself into situations. The focus was clear: protect restricted areas. Doncic took matters into his own hands by using contact to drive against Dort, play him off both feet for a floater, and then nail his one-footed jumper.
The Mavericks maintained their advantage over the Thunder on offense with timely play from complementary players, leading 117-108 with 2:12 left in the game. Coming out of the timeout, Dallas was clearly focused on running out the clock. Oklahoma City was unable to mount a successful comeback until the end of the game.
The series resumes Saturday with an early afternoon tipoff at American Airlines Center.
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