Determined to make a break in the series, the Mavs started the meeting with a bang. An 18-4 gives them a 14-point lead (22-8)! The duo Luka Doncic – Kyrie Irving (9 points, 9 assists) dissects the Thunder defense and the second knives continue to put in. Derrick Jones Jr. (17 points), PJ Washington (21 points, 12 rebounds), Dante Exum, and Josh Green all score from afar while the Daniel Gafford – Dereck Lively II pair controls the racket. It takes six points from Aaron Wiggins off the bench to limit the damage (30-20).
Oklahoma City's offense is still struggling but Jalen Williams (14 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists), Chet Holmgren (18 points, 9 rebounds), and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (34 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists) are wake up. They bring their team back to -5 but a 3-pointer from PJ Washington followed by two dunks in transition sends the Thunder back to square one (44-33).
Always clumsy from a distance, the Thunder will look for points on the free throw line to avoid taking a blow. The last two possessions of the half, a 3-pointer from Doncic and a counter from Lively on an attempt by Holmgren, perfectly summed up the first 24 minutes (54-43).
Dallas fails to kill the match
The Mavs immediately regained a 14-point lead on a 3-pointer from PJ Washington, but the third quarter was dominated by the two defenses. Dallas made 5/20 on shots, OKC made 8/24 but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made 5/11 on shots for 12 points to bring his team to -4 (69-65).
Five points in a row from Lu Dort put the Thunder within one possession (73-70), and the crossover intensified. Derrick Jones Jr. and Daniel Gafford revive the Mavs, but a 9-0 led by three baskets in a row from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and an assist to Chet Holmgren gives OKC a three-point lead (89-86)! The first advantage since the start of the match.
Stunned, the Mavs try to respond but the Thunder drives home the point. A 3-pointer from Lu Dort, a costly loose ball from Tim Hardaway Jr., and four points from Jalen Williams gave them a five-point lead (96-91). With a minute to play, OKC misses the blow. A bowl from Gilgeous-Alexander gives Luka Doncic a chance to equalize, but the latter makes one in two on free throws with ten seconds to play (96-95)! Holmgren and Gilgeous-Alexander do not tremble, and the Thunder validates the hold-up to equalize the series.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in MVP mode. With his team at -14 with 20 minutes remaining, the Thunder star took matters into his own hands. His teammates were 10/34 on shots in the first half, and 3/13 in the third quarter, but SGA was the only OKC player who was able to undermine the Dallas defense. He scored 12 of his team's 22 points in the third period to keep them in ambush. It was enough to allow his teammates to get into the rhythm in defense. Gilgeous-Alexander added 10 points in the last quarter but was able to count on 22 points from the Dort- Williams – Holmgren trio. He carried his team for three quarters, and without his performance the Thunder would not return to OKC at 2 all.
– Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving get through it. Dallas' second knives did their job. The Jones Jr – Washington – Gafford – Lively quartet scored 55 points at 47% shooting success. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving finished with 27 points on 10/31 shots, including only 11 in the second half on 4/14 shots. Irving, who was once again impressive in creation with 7 assists in the first half, disappeared in the face of the Thunder's long segments in the second half. Doncic never found his rhythm. He certainly finished with a triple-double (19 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists) but he also lost 7 balls and missed a crucial free throw in the final seconds. The Mavs will need the real Doncic to hope to win Game 5.
– Lost balls and free throws turned the match around. Both teams were clumsy (41% and 38% success). Both teams grabbed 12 offensive rebounds and scored 13 points on second chances. But Dallas lost six more balls than the Thunder, allowing them to score 19 points on their blunders. Worse, the Mavs missed 11 of their 23 free throws, while OKC made 23/24! In a match that was played to 4 points, Jason Kidd's men can bite their fingers!
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
