In a physical, ugly game in Dallas, the Oklahoma City Thunder found a way to pull out a gritty 100-96 comeback victory over the Mavericks and tie the series at two games apiece.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 34 points to go along with 8 boards and 5 assists, and Lu Dort was everywhere scoring 17 points with 9 boards while holding Luka Doncic to only 18 points and seven turnovers. Chet Holmgren was also very good offensively with 18 points and 9 rebounds of his own.
Early on, the game looked like a Dallas runaway. They led by as many as 14 in the third quarter when OKC had zero momentum. The Mavericks led from 9 minutes left in the first quarter all the way until there were only 4 minutes left in the fourth quarter. However, it was stifling Thunder defense in the second half to go along with the Mavericks shooting an abysmal 52% from the free throw line that prevented them from pulling away. SGA put in 10 points in the final quarter to close the gap and secure the victory for the team.
As the series moves back to Oklahoma City, the Thunder will need to clean some things up if they want to move on to the next round.
Number one, Jalen Williams has to shoot better. His defense tonight was phenomenal, forcing a playoff career high 4 steals, but he’s shot just 39.9% from the field this series, allowing for Dallas to focus on stopping Shai. He shot his postseason worst tonight at 26%, so let’s hope he gets a spark from a trip home.
Secondly, their bench has to play better in general. In game four, OKC could only muster 12 points off the bench. That may get them out of this series, but they certainly won’t hang with the likes of Denver or Minnesota who boast some of the best depth in the league. They need to get better production from their second team guys like Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins who combined for zero points tonight.
Finally, they have to keep up the stellar defense. It’s what’s kept them in games this series, and what kept them ahead in “off” moments in the series before against New Orleans. The offense comes in waves, especially on off nights like this, but defense doesn’t slump. Continuing to force turnovers that become easy points the other way will be what keeps them in striking distance or what secures them a lead.
Game five back at the Paycom Center is set for Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. where we’ll see who takes the lead back.
