OKLAHOMA CITY — As Cason Wallace caught a pass from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the 20-year-old stayed composed and swished in the corner 3-point attempt. The usually stoic MVP candidate showed a rare glimpse of pure emotion as he was the first to celebrate the rookie’s dagger.
Dallas cleared its bench after a timeout as OKC led by 22 points with a little over five minutes left.
The Oklahoma City Thunder collected a 117-95 Game 1 win over the Dallas Mavericks. OKC opens the series with a 1-0 lead and is now 5-0 in the playoffs. It’s yet to allow 100 points in a postseason contest.
“I thought we got a good groove going after kinda a choppy start,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the playoff win. “Really intelligent attacks. We had a good blend of aggression and also taking what the defense gave us, keeping them on their heels, keeping the ball ahead of them.”
It was a close contest in the opening moments as both teams struggled to generate points. After the first quarter, both squads were tied at 23 apiece. The second frame produced a much faster pace of points for the Thunder and Mavericks.
A 21-9 run in the second frame by the Thunder created a nine-point lead with three minutes left in the first half. The Thunder totaled 39 points in the second quarter and entered halftime with a 62-53 lead over the Mavericks.
An 11-3 run by Dallas in the opening stages of the second half saw it cut OKC’s lead to two points with over six minutes left in the third frame. It suddenly looked like the Mavericks had all the momentum and were on the verge of usurping the Thunder’s advantage.
Instead, OKC responded with a decisive 20-7 run to balloon its lead back to 15 points in the final seconds of the third frame. The Thunder had 27 points in the quarter and entered the fourth frame with an 89-79 advantage.
Chet Holmgren had a 3-pointer and dunk to push OKC’s lead to 94-80 with under 10 minutes left. The Thunder had another monster run of 19-5 to put this game to bed. The Mavericks waved the white flag as Wallace’s catch-and-shoot 3-pointer pushed the Thunder’s lead past 20 points.
After a thrilling first half, the Thunder had a dominating second half and outscored the Mavericks, 55-42, en route to a blowout win to build the 1-0 advantage of their second-round series against Dallas.
The Thunder shot 45% from the field and went 16-of-35 (45.7%) from 3. They shot 21-of-28 from the free-throw line. They had a playoff-record-high 29 assists on 40 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander had an impressive Game 1 with a near 29-point triple-double. He shot 11-of-13 from the free-throw line. Holmgren had 19 points and seven rebounds. Jalen Williams totaled 18 points, five rebounds and five assists. Aaron Wiggins contributed with 16 points off the bench.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks struggled to score as they failed to crack triple-digit points. They shot 39% from the field and went 12-of-35 (34.3%) from 3. They went 17-of-25 from the free-throw line. They were held to 19 assists on 33 baskets. Five Mavericks players scored double-digit points.
Luka Doncic has his worst game of the playoffs yet. He was limited to 19 points on 6-of-19 shooting, nine assists and six rebounds. He shot 1-of-9 from 3 as the 25-year-old struggled with his outside shot. Kyrie Irving only had 20 points. Daniel Gafford had 16 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks.
“He’s just a warrior,” Daigneault said about Lu Dort’s defense on Doncic. “Brings the juice every single night. Doncic is a really hard matchup and a great player that didn’t have his best pitch tonight. He’s going to play better than this. Lu made it hard on him. I thought our team made it hard on him.”
The Thunder had about as impressive of a showing against the Mavericks as one could’ve hoped. After a week off, they displayed zero rust and were ready to start Round 2 against one of the hottest squads in the league since the All-Star break.
Despite the lopsided win, the Thunder won’t let this result affect how they perform the rest of the series. OKC realized how dangerous the Mavericks are as one of the last eight teams still left competing.
“We know this is a heavyweight matchup and this is a really good team,” Daigneault said. “To think you’re going to go through a game or a series where they don’t land their punches is unrealistic. They landed a couple of punches there and it’s a long series.
“We have to be ready for a better version of them coming out in Game 2. We expect that.”
Let’s look at Thunder player grades.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus
In a battle of MVP finalists, Gilgeous-Alexander one-upped Doncic in Game 1. The 25-year-old had arguably his best outing of the playoffs yet.
In 37 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 29 points on 8-of-19 shooting, nine assists and nine rebounds. He shot 2-of-4 from 3 and went 11-of-13 from the free-throw line. He was a plus-21.
The jumper didn’t fall at the rate it usually does, but Gilgeous-Alexander made up for that with attacks to the basket and initiating contact. The whistles looked similar to the regular season and he got to the free-throw line at will.
Gilgeous-Alexander had a hot start with eight points in the first quarter. He totaled 19 points in the first half to enter halftime with a double-digit lead over Dallas. A strong 10-point third quarter helped keep a healthy distance on the scoreboard against the Mavericks.
After a week off, Gilgeous-Alexander utilized the rest to enter this contest with fresh legs. He was easily the best player on the court as he faced one of the best duos in the league. The Thunder will need him to continue to put up similar numbers the rest of the way in hopes of advancing past Round 2.
“I like to play my game and however it goes, it’s however it goes,” Gilgeous-Alexander said on his high volume of free-throw attempts. “People say they’ve adjusted since the All-Star break, since the playoffs. I honestly haven’t felt so. Every night I just go out there, try to attack the rim, give what the defense gives me.”
Jalen Williams: A
Waiting for Hardaway Jr. to fly past him on a contest, Williams shuffled to the left and splashed in the sidestep 3-pointer to push OKC’s lead to 15 points with eight minutes left. He celebrated with the crowd as they cheered in barks.
It was another monster fourth quarter by Williams, who’s turned into OKC’s designated closer. In 36 minutes, he finished with 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting, five assists and five rebounds. He shot 2-of-5 from 3 and went 4-of-6 from the free-throw line. He was a plus-15.
The second-year wing tallied 10 points in the fourth quarter. Every basket happened in less than two minutes as a loud jam suddenly expanded OKC’s lead to 17 points with seven minutes left.
Williams has been the Thunder’s second-best scorer since his arrival. In Game 1, he had a quiet first three quarters, but a monster final frame more than made up for it.
Even though the level of intensity has multiplied tenfold, the 23-year-old has translated his fourth-quarter takeovers from the regular season to the playoffs.
“I got looks that I worked on that didn’t go in,” Williams said on his fourth quarter. “Just kinda understand it’s basketball and have a next-play mentality… Just trying to stay aggressive. My team trusts me to make plays.”
Chet Holmgren: A
The Mavericks kept trying to attack the paint, but Holmgren flexed his rim protection by holding them to 42% shooting inside the paint. The seven-foot rookie played a vital role in this lopsided win.
In 31 minutes, Holmgren finished with 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting, seven rebounds and three blocks. He shot 2-of-5 from 3. He was a plus-18.
After a week off, the rest did Holmgren well as he played with an extra burst against Dallas. He had a hot start with 11 points in the first half. A pair of early baskets in the fourth quarter contributed to OKC running away.
A big concern heading into this series was how the Thunder would handle lob threats like Gafford and Lively II. Through one game, OKC has passed that challenge with ease. Gafford was a minus-two in 27 minutes and Lively II was a minus-13 in 13 minutes.
If Holmgren continues to be a massive contributor on both sides, the Thunder will have a significant shot of advancing past Round 2. Especially if he neutralizes Dallas’ bigs.
“It’s easy to look at the outcome and try and be satisfied with what the outcome was tonight,” Holmgren said on their defensive effort. “We know those are two extremely good players, great team around them, great coaching staff. They’re going to throw all types of different looks at us… They’re gonna adjust, they’re gonna watch film, they’re gonna do all that stuff and be ready for next game, so we gotta do the same.”
Aaron Wiggins: A-plus
Not checking into the contest until the second quarter, Wiggins quickly made up for lost time with a monster frame. The third-year wing scored 12 points in the period to help OKC enter halftime with a double-digit lead.
A little over a minute into his stint, Wiggins splashed a pair of outside shots to preview the type of hot scoring night he’d enjoy. The 25-year-old continues to stay ready regardless of role or playing time. He’s separated himself from the rest of the pack as one of the top backup wing options.
In 23 minutes off the bench, Wiggins finished with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting, five rebounds and two assists. He shot 3-of-4 from 3 and the free-throw line. He was a plus-18.
The outside shot fell for Wiggins in this contest. He was an outside option for OKC as all three of his makes resulted in assists. In a playoff series, surprise outings like these from role players can swing a game. That happened in Game 1 for the Thunder with Wiggins’ performance.
‘”Being on that court, you can’t take it for granted,” Wiggins said. “Just happy to be healthy and go out there and take advantage of the opportunities I have.”
If the 2020 second-round pick continues to shine in the national spotlight, there’s a high chance he’ll earn himself a handsome paycheck soon. Since joining the Thunder, Wiggins has been one of their best wings on the roster.
