The Oklahoma City Thunder officially have their backs against the wall for good. They lost 2-1 to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the NBA Playoffs, heading into Game 4 at American Airlines Center.
The Mavericks will look to make one final blow and take a 3-1 lead. This will likely force the Thunder out of the series. They must regain momentum in the series by winning the final game in Dallas before returning home.
The key for the Thunder will be for the Mavericks to get off to a strong start and break the flow of the game. They need to stop the Mavericks' offense, especially if Dallas continues to play solid defense.
Thunder:
There are no injuries to report.
Heretic:
Luka Doncic, Questionable (knee)
Maxi Kleber, OUT (shoulder)
Olivier Maxence Prosper, OUT (ankle)
Doncic will also be available, as he has been through the first three games. Although he is injured, Doncic himself said it will not prevent him from playing in the playoffs. It won't be the end of his career, and he will spend the offseason healing. If it's bad enough for him to not play, he'll be listed as out.
The Mavericks' other two injuries have been the same throughout the series, but they haven't had a big impact on Dallas, which leads the series.
The Thunder are still lucky in terms of staying healthy, and they need to make the most of it moving forward.
The Thunder are once again playing as an underdog. After falling behind in Game 1 in Dallas, the Thunder fell behind by 1.5 points in Game 4.
They need to spoil it in a big way. If they want to extend the series, they need to find a way to steal a second game in Dallas to demoralize the Mavericks back in Oklahoma City.
Read more: OKC Thunder gain valuable playoff experience in hard-fought series against Dallas
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