OKLAHOMA CITY — The Dallas Mavericks lost 117-95 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinal series. This result occurred even though the score was tied until the first quarter.
Dallas held an 8-5 lead, but the Thunder jumped out to a 5-0 lead. Doncic found early success, but his production on the offensive end slowed. Because Holmgren often played in drop coverage, Doncic often attacked by moving into gaps from pick-and-rolls, making midrange pull-ups and step-back three-drops. He attacked from a double drag against Luguentz Dort's aggressive on-ball defense and made a come-from-behind jumper from short range.
The Mavericks' defense focused on beating Josh Guidi in the half court, a strategy the team often employed during the regular season. He began starting the Thunder's offense more often to put pressure on Dallas. He connected with Chet Holmgren on a lob for an and-one and got to the rim on the next play.
Josh Green made two 3-pointers in the first quarter, and the game settled into a back-and-forth game late in the first half. The first quarter was a close one, with both teams tied 23-23 by the end of the quarter. Dallas struggled with turnovers from the start, with Irving accounting for 4 of 6 total shots on the frame.
“I just talked to Kai.” [the turnovers]. “I said it was my fault, but this is a team game. I understand the nerves and everyone wants to do the right thing,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. Ta. We just have to take care of the ball and if we do that we will get a good result. ”
While Gafford was on the court, Oklahoma City deployed a small-ball batting lineup with Jaylin Williams at the five. After multiple efforts, Gafford blocked Williams' finish at the rim during the possession.
Irving turned it on to start the second period, going downhill and making a trip to the free-throw line, followed by an elbow jumper. Dallas initially outscored the Thunder 8-6 in the period, taking a 31-29 lead into a timeout with 9:14 remaining before halftime. Continuing the trend of high-moment games, Oklahoma City responded with a 9-2 run.
On the court, Doncic became nervous as a solo star when Dort's aggressive defense made it difficult for the Mavericks to participate in the offense. The lack of connection due to the double drag kept Doncic open to Holmgren, a big defender, while Gafford was left out of position and frustrated.
With Doncic remaining the only superstar on the court, the Thunder began doubling up on Doncic in the half court, both in the post and on ball screens. The goal was to shake off Derrick Jones Jr. and force him to take a shot to take the ball out of Doncic's hands. While Oklahoma City started converting, Dallas' perimeter shooting struggled.
Containing Gilgeous-Alexander is a big challenge for the Mavericks, who often get called foul for contact when he aggressively attacks in the paint, or otherwise plays in space on short-range jumpers. I gave it away. While the Mavericks went up and down possession, the Thunder got to the free throw line frequently late in the second quarter.
Oklahoma City took a 12-point lead late in the second quarter and entered halftime up 62-53. The Thunder hit 22 free throws, shooting 77.3%, better than 42.6% from the floor and 31.3% from deep. Gilgeous-Alexander has already scored 19 points on 11 free throw attempts, while Aaron Wiggins (12 points) and Holmgren (11 points) scored in double figures.
At times, the Thunder blitzed Dallas, forcing short roll touches on 4-on-3s, while also sending Roman early to apply pressure near the restricted area. Even in isolation possession, some approaches were to simply flood the ball to the stronger side. As a result, Gafford missed several finishes. Oklahoma City was content to leave Jones and Washington on the weak side.
The Mavericks made consecutive 3-pointers and created a burst of creativity, Washington made a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer, and then Irving did the same. Dallas outscored the Thunder by a 12-4 margin after halftime, trailing by one point until Isaiah Joe countered with a 3-pointer of his own after using a shot fake to force a flyby contest. It was made into a game.
With Joe's 3-point shot, Oklahoma City jumped out on a 14-4 run, and their perimeter shooting, including additional shots from Dort, Holmgren, and Gilgeous-Alexander, produced great results. The Thunder suddenly trailed by double digits and held an 80-69 advantage with 4:37 left in the third quarter. As he had throughout the game, Gilgeous-Alexander looked for the switch on Doncic's stepback jumper.
It wasn't until late in the third quarter that Dallas started sending late doubles, when Doncic was replaced by Gilgeous-Alexander. Utilizing this approach, on the first possession of the first half, Gilgeous-Alexander successfully attacked Washington with a stepback from deep as Doncic switched to Dort.
Joe's 3-pointer late in the third period, followed by an acrobatic finish from Gilgeous-Alexander, gave the Thunder a 15-point lead. Doncic continued to play despite a sprained right knee, but struggled to shoot the ball and put pressure on the rim. At that point, he had 17 points and eight assists, but was just 5-17 on shots overall, 1-7 from beyond the basket, and 6-10 on free throws.
Irving made a tough pull-up 3-pointer that beat a defender and beat the buzzer before the end of the third quarter, making the game a 10-point deficit.
Thunder didn't break. After Doncic rotated as a low defender to support the drive, Holmgren took a sprayout pass in the corner and made a catch-and-shoot jumper to compensate for the Mavericks. Oklahoma City regained a 13-point lead. The Thunder continued to make stops and developed an efficient attack, increasing their 3-point shooting success rate, leading by 22 points before Dallas brought in their reserves to end the game.
