Thunder 100 - 96 Mavericks summary stats, scores and highlights | NBA Playoff Game 4
The Thunder went up 5 with just over a minute left, but the Mavs had a chance to tie the game with under 10 seconds to go, but Luka Doncic missed one of two FTs. The Mavs shot just 12/23 from the line and that turned out to be the difference in a game that was decided by four points.
The Thunder now take the series back home tied at 2-2. Game 5 will tip off from the Paycom Center on Wednesday at 9:30 ET.
Everything Shai was throwing up was falling in the second half. He tied the game up for the first time since the first minutes of the first quarter, and they would take the lead on the next possession with a Chet Holmgren three that capped off a 9-0 run that ended up making the difference in Game 4.
After holding the Mavs to just 15 points in the third quarter, the Thunder were down just four points heading into the final 12 minutes. Luka Doncic was held to just 18 and Kyrie Irving had 9. Doncic had a triple double, but shot just 6/20 from the field. The Thunder seemed like they were just waiting to make their move, and they did late in the 4th.
The bench scored just 12 points, but Cason Wallace came up with his six points in some important moments of Game 4. The Thunder didn't shoot well on Monday night. They hit just 7/27 threes and shot 38% from the field. They won this game with their defense, and their big buckets in big moments.
Shai didn't have a great first half, neither did any of the Thunder but once he got going in the second half, everyone seemed to climb aboard. OKC trailed for most of the game, but they hung around long enough to make their run at the right time.
The Oklahoma City Thunder leveled their Western Conference Semifinal series at 2-2 with a come from behind win over the Dallas Mavericks from American Airlines Center. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge with 34 points in the pivotal Game 4 win.
It wasn't pretty for the visitors in the early going. They went down by as many as 14 in the first quarter, and would trail for the first three quarters and some change.
IT'S ALL OVER!!!
The OKC Thunder even up with series before heading back home for Game 5!
SGA to the line and he hits both FTs and this is all over!
SGA sends Washington to the line with 3.2 on the clock and he missed the first but looked like he tried to make the second and did.
Timeout Thunder with 3.2 to go.
Hardaway sends Holmgren to the line and the rookie hits both FTs.
Doncic to the line after the foul on Dort and he misses one of two FTs! DAL are 11/21 from the line tonight.
Timeout Thunder with 10 second on the clock.
SGA missed a elbow jumper that was in and out which might have sealed it, but DAL get the rebound and call a timeout with 12.1 seconds left!
The Mavs can tie or take the lead!
Jones raiss for the alley oop slam after the Doncic lob.
Lively was fouled fighting for his own rebound and he hits one of two FTs.
Hardaway threw it away and SGA found Williams on the break for the lay up!
Timeout Mavs, down 5 with 1:07 to go.
Williams drives baseline and throws it down as the shot clock was about to expire.
Hardaway answers back with a three ball from the top of the key!
Dort was left open on the wing and he drills the three ball!
Lively raises to throw down the alley oop from Doncic!
SGA with a kick out to Holmgren who sticks the three and gives OKC their first lead of the night! 9-0 run for the Thunder!
SGA with a defender all over him from the baseline and he some how shot it over the backboard and watched it drop in! It's tied from Dallas!
SGA pull up from the baseline and stick another mid range jumper!
We have a two point game and the Mavs call a timeout with 4:43 to go in the 4th.
SGA steps back from the elbow and he hits the mid range jumper. He's got 26 on the night.
Gafford backs down and gets the jump hook to drop.
SGA into the lane and the runner falls down the middle of the paint.
Jones stretches for the two handed slam and he gets it to go with a little help from the rim.
The call was overturned, and Wiliams down the lane, gets the bump and the bucket! FT is good.
Out of bounds underneath the Thunder basket and it was called Mavs ball. The Thunder will challenge.
Timeout Mavs with 6:52 to go in the 4th.
Irving on the baseline and he knocks it down over Holmgren.
Wallace steps in to a three off the dish from Williams and he hits the three on the break.
Jones to the line after the foul on Dort and he knocks down both FTs.
Doncic goes up and under and then dumps it off to Lively who slams it home and gets the foul! FT is no good.
The Holmgren was ruled a deep two instead of a three.
Holmgren hits the three ball off the kick back from SGA! It's back to a three point game.
Doncic had Wallace in the air and leaned into for the foul. He hits one of two FTs and the Mavs are struggling from the line tonight. That could become a story late in the game.
Doncic fades away from the elbow and he hits the mid range J.
Dort drills a three ball from the corner and he's got five quick points!
Hardaway fouls Dort and he goes to the line where he hits both FTs.
Up top from Doncic to Jones who soars for the slam at American Airlines Center!
Doncic comes out of the break with a back down on Dort and the turn around after contact. That's his first bucket of the second half.
WE ARE HEADED TO THE FINAL QUARTER IN DALLAS, AND THE THUNDER ARE RUMBLING BACK INTO THIS GAME!
Giddey finds Wallace on the wing and he drills the three ball! We've got a four point game!
SGA pulls up from outside the lane and hits the mid range jumper.
The call was overturned so the Mavs get the ball and Kyrie takes it to the cup for the lay up.
Green called for the foul on SGA and the Mavs are going to challenge the play with 1:52 to go in the third quarter.
The call was overturned and SGA hits the FT line fader over Green.
Timeout Thunder as OKC wants to challenge an out of bounds call that was given to the Mavs.
SGA getting to the bucket and finishes the lay up in traffic.
Washington in the corner and he drills the three ball and he's got 20 on the night.
SGA lobs it up to Holmgren for the alley oop out of the timeout.
Washington driving down the lane and hits the off balanced floater, and the lead is back up to 10. He's got 17 on the night, to lead Dallas.
Timeout Thunder with 5:02 to go in the 3rd quarter.
Washington to the line after the foul on Holmgren and he hits one of two FTs.
SGA driving down the left side and he floats is high off the glass over traffic.
Irving its one of two, and the Mavs are just 5/10 from the line tonight.
Irving fouled by Joe, and he'll be at the line after a timeout with under 7:00 to go in the 3rd quarter.
Holmgren to the line after the foul on Doncic and he hits both FTs.
Jones to the line after the foul on J. Willams but he misses both.
Jones floats one up and in through the heart of the paint.
Dort drills the three ball from the top of the key off the rebound and kickout from Jo.
SGA with a fader from out side the lane off the dribble.
Gaffor o the line after the foul on Williams and he hits one of two FTs.
Washington starts the second half with a three ball off the dish from Iriving, his eighth of the night.
WE ARE BACK IN DALLAS FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION!
Kyrie had just four points in the first half, but dished 7 assists and got his teammates involved early. We know him, and we have seen this happen before. There is a storm brewing, and Irving is in the eye of the storm. The Thunder are going to have to keep an eye on him coming out of the break.
PJ Washington continued his hot shooting after dropping 27 in Game 3. He's got 11 points on 3/7 shooting from downtown.
The passing was flawless for Dallas in the first half. They have 15 assists on 21 FGs, and hit 9/21 threes in the opening two quarters.
The Mavs came out ready for the Thunder to throw some knock out punches early, but they absorbed them an took control early thanks to Daniel Gafford down low. He's got 7 points on a perfect 3/3 from the field.
WE ARE HEADING TO HALFTIME HERE FROM DALLAS!
The Mavs took control early and kept control throughout the first half.
Doncic steps back and hits it in the face of Dort from long distance!
SGA falling out of bounds and he hits the tear drop from the baseline.
Irving on the step back from the wing and he hits it with a foot on the line.
Dort to the line after the foul on Doncic and he hits both FTs.
Lively with a kick out to Washington at the top of the key and he hits it before the shot clock runs out!
Dort pulls up from the baseline after the pump fake and gets it to go.
SGA gets the offensive board and he hits the step back jumper from the mid range.
Irving fades in the lane and drills the short jumper off the Hardaway assist. That's his first bucket of the night.
SGA pulls up from outside the lane and he gets the jumper to go.
Irving running the break and he led Washington perfectly for a jam down the lane!
Timeout Thunder with 5:12 to go in the 2nd quarter.
Gafford soars high for the alley oop lob from Irving!
Timeout Mavs with 6:35 to go in the first half.
Holmgren to the line after the foul on Irving and he hits one of two FTs.
Irving on the pick and roll and he finds Lively diving to the rack for the two handed slam!
J. Williams pulls up from the paint and hits the mid range J.
Washington splashes another thre, this time off the kick out from Lively!
Dort to the FT line after the foul on Hardaway and he hits both.
Holmgren on the baseline and he gets the fader from a tight angle to go.
Hardaway drills the three ball off the kickout from Doncic!
Green whistled for the away from the play foul and Williams hits the FT.
Giddey drills the three ball in the corner off the kickout from K. Williams. That's the first of the night for OKC.
Luka steps back and drills the FT line jumper.
Williams fouled by Green and he hits both FTs to start the quarter.
WE ARE AT THE END OF THE THIRD QUARTER WITH THE MAVS UP BY 10!
Luka and Jones have 7 points, while Exum has 5 off the bench. SGA leads the Thunder with 6 points but he's not getting much help. DAL are shooting 5/11 from three point land, while OKC is 0/6.
Wiggins saw the clock winding down and just beats the buzzer with a leaner from the FT line.
Exum pulls the trigger from the wing in transition and that's a quick five points for the Aussie.
Exum in traffic underneath and he gets it to fall.
SGA to the line after the foul on Irving and he hits both FTs.
SGA with another mid range jumper on the turn around fader from the FT line.
Extra pass from Exum to Green and he drills the three fresh off the bench.
Wiggins slashes to the rack off the dribble out of the timeout.
Timeout with 2:51 to go in the 1st quarter.
SGA with a pump fake and he hits the shot from outside the paint. He's been quiet to start this game.
Wiggins to the line after the foul on Doncic and he hits both FTs.
Extra pass from Irving who gave it back to Jones in the corner for three!
Washington with the offensive board, and he gave it up to get in back in the corner for three off the Doncic dish.
Homlgren off the dribble and he hits the elbow jumper.
Jones takes the open floater in the lane and gets the roll off the front of the rim
Doncic stops on a dime in transition and drills the three ball from the top of the key!
Jones missed the runner but Gafford was there waiting for the tip in.
Irving with a no look pass to Gafford for the slam.
Williams with the give and go to Giddey who got it back to Williams for the lay up.
Gafford to the line after the foul on SGA and he hits one of two FTs.
Doncic to the line after drawing the second foul on Dort and he hits both FTs.
Irving goes over the shoulder for the leave to Gafford for the two handed slam!
Giddey gets the roll on the turnaround from the baseline.
Doncic gets the offensive board off the Washington missed three and puts it up and in from outside the lane.
Williams over the top for Holmgren who starts the game with an alley oop.
WE ARE UNDERWAY FROM DALLAS!!!
Mavs starters
They might be down 2-1, but there is Thunder are going with what got them here. Mark Daigneault is going with his big guns, starting Giddey, SGA, Dort, Williams and Holmgren in this must win match up in Dallas.
Mavs starters
Both of the midseason additions are in the starting five in the biggest game of the season. Washington and Gafford will be joined by Doncic, Irving and Derick Jones Jr.. Getting off to q quick start is going to be vital against a team that will be looking to strike early in Game 4.
Mavs midseason pick ups
If you would have told me that the Mavs were going to be up on the top seed in the West coming into Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals at the middle of the season, I would have found it hard to believe you. They weren’t exactly rolling for much of this season, but a couple of midseason acquisitions has changed course of the season for Dallas. PJ Washington came in and gave the Mavs more depth on the perimeter while Daniel Gafford added some size, strength and fight in the paint. These two have come to Dallas and made an immediate impact on both sides of the ball. Luka and Kyrie are going to do their thing, but for Dallas to have success tonight, both Gafford and Washington are going to have to continue to chip in at both baskets.
Luka's long list of injuries
It’s been the talk of the playoffs in Dallas. Luka Doncic has had a good post season run, but there is no question he’s not 100%. While he doesn’t use that as an excuse when the Mavs lose, there is no denying that his mobility is affected by an ankle and knee issue. While neither injury will keep him out of tonight’s game, we are going to have to keep on eye on how he moves, and how the injuries effect him.
Coexisting in Big D
The balancing act in Big D continues and it seems to be working perfectly for Jason Kidd and the Mavs. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are finally finding their chemistry while on the floor together. The way it has been working, is the Mavs let Luka do his thing while Kyrie plays second fiddle until it seems like both teams are accustomed to the rhythm of the game, and Irving takes the stage and dominates by pushing the pace and playing his style of basketball. Instead of trying to get each one to play each other’s style, they go passing the baton back and forth. It’s gone from a problem for the Mavs to a weapon, and if they are going to have a chance of moving on to the Conference Finals, it’s going to be on the shoulders of those two.
Crew love
While they have and MVP candidate on their roster, the Oklahoma City Thunder are far from a one man show. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the heavy hitter, averaging over 30 points a game in the regular season and playoffs, but the Thunder were the top seed in the West because of how everyone else compliments him. This young crop of talent has blossomed at the perfect time and tonight they need everyone to come together in the biggest game of the season. That means Jalen Williams is going to have to be his best self, and Chet Holmgren is going to have to dominate in the paint and Lou Dort is going to have to lock down on the defensive end and Josh Giddey is going to have to run the offense and make sure to push the pace. Even if everyone chips in, it’s going to be tough to beat the Mavs on their home court.
Game 3 recap
After losing Game 2 in OKC, you had to think the Thunder were going to come out swinging in Game 3 from Dallas. The Mavs on the other hand, had taken home court from the one seed, and looked to hold serve from American Airlines Center. Despite Luka Doncic being shaken up, battling multiple injuries, Dallas came out and took control of the game early on thanks to a Luka, Kyrie and PJ Washington who has pronounced himself as the third option to Dallas’s star studded duo. Their first quarter lead didn’t last long as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pulled him team back into the game and took the lead in the second quarter. The lead would change hands a number of times, until a 16-0 third quarter run from the Mavs gave the home side the lead which they would protect for the rest of the way. Washington led the team with 27, while Kyrie and Doncic both had 22 points in the Game 3 win.
We are live from American Airlines Center
Hello everyone and welcome to Dallas where the Mavericks have rattled off a couple consecutive wins to take command in the series over the top seeded Thunder. Tonight the Mavs have a chance to take a big step towards the Conference Finals with a win over OKC. The Thunder were the best team in the toughest conference we have seen in a long time, and tonight they will have to play like it. They are a young team, that has never been this deep in the playoffs, but they are going to have to grow up quickly if they are going to have any chance of topping the Mavs from Dallas in Game 4.
Thunder vs. Mavericks Game 4
The top seed in the West have their backs against the ropes coming into tonight’s Game 4 of the Conference Semifinals tonight from Dallas. After winning the series opener, the Oklahoma City Thunder have dropped two straight games to the Mavericks, and need a win tonight to avoid facing elimination from here on out. Will Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving take a step closer to the next round or will Shai Gilgeous-Alexander even the series? AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s game from American Airlines Center.