DALLAS — Down three points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tried to erase the deficit in a single moment. An ambitious MVP runner-up attempted a stepback 3-pointer over Dereck Lively II that hit the backboard with a minute left.
This was OKC’s best shot in the final moments to tie it up. Next possession, Kyrie Irving danced his way through Jalen Williams’ tight defense to roll in the left-handed floater to push Dallas’ lead to an insurmountable five points with 39 seconds left.
The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered a 105-101 Game 3 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. OKC has now lost two in a row against Dallas and has a 2-1 deficit in the Round 2 series of the 2024 NBA playoffs.
“I think there’s a lot of opportunity for us to get better. We’re not playing quite to the level that I think we’re capable of right now,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the playoff loss. “Which is disappointing in the individual game but it’s also an opportunity. We have some capacity right there.”
It was another hot start for the Mavericks, who built a 13-5 lead in the opening minutes. The Thunder battled back as an Isaiah Joe 3-pointer in the final seconds cut OKC’s deficit to 26-23 after the first quarter.
The Thunder tied it up at 31 apiece in the early stages of the second frame as Lu Dort rolled to the basket for the open look underneath. From there on, both teams exchanged buckets for the rest of the first half. Joe swished in a buzzer-beating corner 3-pointer to give OKC the slight 52-51 halftime lead.
Coming out of the break, the Thunder enjoyed an early 11-0 run to create a 65-55 lead in the early stages of the second half. A Josh Giddey alley-oop to Williams capped off the massive run that silenced the Dallas crowd.
It felt like the Thunder were on the verge of blowing the contest open. They had full control of the pace and the Mavericks couldn’t hit on their looks. Then suddenly, Dallas scored 16 straight points — which was the turning point of this back-and-forth postseason contest.
It went from a 65-55 lead for OKC to a 71-65 deficit in four minutes. P.J. Washington’s corner 3-pointer was the last bucket scored in that decisive run as the Thunder were forced to call a timeout.
“That was probably the missed opportunity of the game for us,” Daigneault said on the runs. “We were up by 10 and had a pretty good grip on it and just didn’t stack quality enough possessions in that part of the game to either extend the lead or hold the lead.”
The Mavericks outscored the Thunder, 31-26, in the third quarter as a Tim Hardaway Jr. pull-up 3-pointer from the right-wing spot gave them an 82-78 advantage heading into the final frame.
Dallas added to its lead in the early stages of the fourth quarter as a Lively II dunk gave them a nine-point lead with eight minutes left. The Thunder immediately got it back to within three points, but the Mavericks kept a healthy distance on the scoreboard.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s stepback 3-point attempt on Lively II was the Thunder’s best shot late in the contest to tie it up. Instead, it was another hurtful miss — a concerning trend during these last two losses. Misses down the stretch proved detrimental for OKC as Dallas stiff-armed it enough to come away with the four-point win.
The Thunder shot 47% from the field and went 10-of-30 (33.3%) from 3. They had 23 assists on 38 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 31 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Williams was limited to 16 points on 12 shot attempts. Chet Holmgren had 13 points and eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks shot 43% from the field and went 11-of-33 (33.3%) from 3. They had 21 assists on 39 baskets. Four Mavericks players scored double-digit points — including three 20-point scorers.
Luka Doncic was limited to 22 points on 7-of-17 shooting, 15 rebounds and five assists. He shot 7-of-10 from the free-throw line. Irving had 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting, seven assists and five rebounds. Washington had another high-scoring outing with 27 points on 11-of-23 shooting and was 5-of-12 from 3.
“He’s hooping,” Gilgeous-Alexander said about Washington’s last two games. “We gotta turn that water off if we want to win the series for sure.”
The Thunder resorted to hacking Lively II in the fourth quarter. He finished with 12 points and eight rebounds off the bench and went a respectable 8-of-12 from the free-throw line to turn an exploitation into a strength for Dallas.
“We like doing it when there’s a number advantage of doing it,” Daigneault said on the strategy. “Give Lively II credit, he made the last four… I was playing some numbers there. I also thought it disrupted their flow.”
A mini-funk from the Thunder’s offense with their outside shooting is one of the main culprits for these back-to-back losses. The best 3-point shooting squad in the league has shot a cold 33.3% in its last two contests.
The ball security has also struggled. OKC committed 14 turnovers, which resulted in 10 points for Dallas. A lot of the turnovers were unforced errors and the results of lazy passes. The Thunder’s lack of size has also haunted them as the Mavericks’ 15 offensive rebounds resulted in them putting up an additional 10 shot attempts.
That type of margin with shot volume likely won Dallas the game in a four-point final deficit.
“We got a little sloppy offensively with our execution,” Daigneault said. “We turned it over a couple of times, they got hot. They made shots and converted, so credit them.”
The Thunder will need to look sharper in Game 4. A fast start will be a high priority as Dallas has done an excellent job bogging down OKC’s offense these last two games. If they look similar in Game 4 as they did these last two losses, the frightening possibility of a 3-1 deficit hole will quickly materialize.
“We all have to understand we have another gear and we got to access it here so we throw our best punch in these games,” Daigneault said. “We are disappointed that we lost, but again, I think we have an opportunity to be a better team in Game 4.”
Let’s look at Thunder player grades.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A
Through three games, Gilgeous-Alexander has done his part to help the Thunder’s odds of advancement past the second round. He finished as the leading scorer in OKC’s Game 3 loss.
In 42 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points on 10-of-23 shooting, 10 rebounds and six assists. He shot 2-of-3 from 3 and went 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. He also totaled a surprising five blocks.
He had a strong start with 17 first-half points. That continued in the second half despite the loss. He’s arguably been the best player of the series as he duels it out with the third-place MVP finisher.
Considering he’s played one of the best defenses, Gilgeous-Alexander’s 31 points is an impressive total. The jumper didn’t fall for him at an efficient clip, but the high volume was welcomed. If the Thunder lose, it’s better to do so with the MVP runner-up emptying the tank.
“We’re trying to do the right thing,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I just think execution and focus are two areas where we can really take a step.”
Jalen Williams: C-minus
Facing a top-heavy squad, the Thunder need more from Williams. He’s lacked in volume through three games of this second-round series.
In 38 minutes, Williams finished with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting, eight assists and six rebounds. He was held to five points in the first half. That needs to change in Game 4.
Battling through injuries, the Thunder need Williams to be a consistent scoring threat when he’s on the court. Not just in spurts. The Mavericks have done an excellent job holding Williams in check for most of the series.
It’s been a physical series as Williams sports some nasty scars with his shoulder fully taped up and his nagging ankle injury continuing to limit him.
“I’m fine,” Williams said about his ankle injury that forced him to leave the court in serious pain.
For the Thunder, they will need the 23-year-old to be more aggressive with his shot-taking. He’s too talented of a scorer to not flirt with 20-plus shot attempts. The Thunder will need Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander to handle most of the possessions when push comes to shove.
Chet Holmgren: C-plus
It was another struggle for the Mavericks to score points. They shot 51% inside the paint. Holmgren has been loud on that side of the court this series. The problems with him have been on the other side of the court.
In 35 minutes, Holmgren finished with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, eight rebounds, four blocks and three assists. He shot 0-of-2 from 3 and went 3-of-5 from the free-throw line.
The seven-footer has struggled to hit shots from outside, which has bailed the Mavericks out. He will need to be better with his 3-point shot. He’s had plenty of quality looks that have simply been missed. If he doesn’t turn it around, OKC will continue to struggle to score points.
“It’s everything you can want out of a basketball game,” Holmgren said on Game 3. “It’s extremely competitive. Both teams really want it. Obviously, we want to come out on the winning end of things but if you take the result out of it, it’s everything you can want out of a basketball game. Fighting and going out there and having each other’s back.”
It’s now two consecutive games where the Thunder struggled to score points in the opening quarter. Holmgren said that needs to change in Game 4 to avoid an early deficit.
“We got to come out as much energy as we possibly can,” Holmgren said. “A lot of times, variance favors the aggressors. We got to come out and be the aggressors and come out ready to make plays, throw punches. The Mavs are going to do the same thing. I feel like that’s what we got to do.”
Isaiah Joe: B
Joe was essentially all of the Thunder’s bench contributions. He scored 13 of the second unit’s 24 points. The 24-year-old seems to enjoy the sound the loud mics make when he swishes in a 3-pointer at AAC. He had his breakout game last season against the Mavericks.
In 13 minutes, Joe finished with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, he went 3-of-4 from 3. He hit a pair of end-of-quarter 3-pointers in the first half to give OKC some last-second scores.
This was a nice breakout game for Joe, who’s been mostly quiet in the playoffs. Heading into this contest, he averaged 5.7 points but on 40% shooting from 3 on 3.3 attempts.
It’s evident his outside shot has translated over to the postseason, he just needs to take more attempts like he did in Game 3. That was one of the slight positives of this ugly loss. The Thunder will need to generate more catch-and-look looks for their 3-point sniper.
