With the odds stacked against them going into Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinal series on Wednesday against the visiting Dallas Mavericks, the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder are playing like they always do. The Thunder won Game 4 on Monday, 100-96, to tie the series at two games. And the Thunder can once again see a route to their first Western Conference final since 2016 with two of the next three games possibly taking place in Oklahoma City. That road was somewhat blocked until Monday, when Oklahoma City overcame deficits of 14 points in the third quarter and eight points with less than eight minutes left in regulation.
That road was somewhat blocked until Monday, when Oklahoma City overcame deficits of 14 points in the third quarter and eight points with less than eight minutes left in regulation. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered a 22-point second half and a 10-point fourth quarter on 4-of-7 shooting in the last 12 minutes, just when Oklahoma City needed him most. With 4:02 left, he made a fadeaway from close range to tie the game at 86, and the Thunder never looked back. For the most part, Gilgeous-Alexander stated, “it just comes down to trusting your teammates and taking what the defense gives you.” It is evident that you require them to achieve success at an elevated degree. I also wish to succeed at a high level, therefore
Chet Holmgren contributed 18 points and nine rebounds, and he was also a factor in the closing minutes, while Gilgeous-Alexander concluded with 34 points, his third straight game of at least 30 in the series. With 3:24 left, Holmgren made his lone 3-pointer off a Gilgeous-Alexander pass to give the Thunder a decisive lead of 89-86. And with ten seconds left, Holmgren made two crucial free throws to help the Mavericks close the gap to one point. After the game, blaming himself for the team’s lone miss early in the contest on a night the Thunder went 23-for-24 from the free throw line, Holmgren remarked, “Free throws are big.”
These are really significant, and many of our players practice very hard and place a great deal of attention on making free throws. With their minds racing about what might have been, the Mavericks get back on the road. While Kyrie Irving was restricted to nine points on four of eleven from the field and Luka Doncic to eighteen points on six of twenty, P.J. Washington scored twenty-one points with twelve rebounds.
Doncic recorded a triple-double with ten assists and twelve rebounds. Irving contributed nine more assists, but a 15-point third quarter in which only five of Dallas’ 20 attempts at field goals were scored (25.0 percent) undermined the team. Irving stated, “I think we played well enough to win tonight, but we just didn’t finish the job.” “Those 50-50 basketballs we saw when they defeated us in Oklahoma City, free throws, and offensive rebounds are the little things that count.” Dallas’ defense limited Oklahoma City to 38.0 percent overall and 25.9 percent from three points out. Derrick Jones Jr. and Dereck Lively II each had four of their 13 blocked shots.
However, Oklahoma City responded by containing Irving and Doncic in a win that significantly changed the course of the series. The Mavericks coach Jason Kidd remarked, “You look at the scorers on both sides, the percentages aren’t always going to be great.” “Irving is taking advantage of his opportunities to score points and lead the defense, in my opinion.