Thunder-Mavericks: 5 takeaways as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stars in Sport 1 – NBA.com

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivers, Chet Holmgren dominates the paint and OKC comprises Dallas' dynamic duo in a Sport 1 win.
Michael C. Wright
The athleticism of the Thunder proves to be the largest separator in a Sport 1 victory over the Mavericks.
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OKLAHOMA CITY — Jason Kidd subbed out his stars in give up Tuesday, as Dallas trailed by 22 factors with greater than 5 minutes left in a 117-95 loss at Oklahoma Metropolis in Sport 1 of the convention semifinals.
Kidd falls to 0-5 in Sport 1s because the Mavericks coach.
“There’s no being happy in a playoff sequence,” Thunder Kia Rookie of the 12 months runner-up Chet Holmgren mentioned. “The sequence isn’t over.”
Kidd’s historical past signifies as a lot, contemplating Dallas bounced again to win three of the earlier 4 sequence that his staff trailed 1-0. This present opponent feels completely different than what the Mavs have seen.
The Thunder are younger, hungry and deep. Stingy, too.
OKC has but to permit an opponent this postseason to attain greater than 95 factors. Dallas’ scoring output for Sport 1 represents a postseason low.
Listed below are 5 takeaways from the sequence opener:
1. Kia MVP finalists conflict head-to-head
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander slid into Paycom Middle draped in a peanut butter-colored leather outfit full with matching gloves. The 25-year-old dressed for fulfillment after which achieved it.
He scored all 29 of his factors over the first three quarters, and he’s now led or tied for OKC’s team-high in scoring all 5 video games this postseason.
With some downtime on Wednesday, Gilgeous-Alexander would possibly even take within the announcement of the Kia NBA MVP Award.
“Positive, why not if I’m at dwelling doing nothing,” he mentioned. “I’m excited to see who wins.”
The clack from followers’ plastic clappers rattled feverishly when Gilgeous-Alexander hit Doncic within the first half with a turnaround fadeaway close to the tip of the primary quarter. The play gave the group of 18,203 precisely what it got here to see between these fierce rivals.
Gilgeous-Alexander evened the general sequence between the guards to 4 video games apiece with a Sport 1 efficiency showcasing his dimension and stop-start repertoire supercharged by a spin transfer that retains opponents guessing.
Lu Dort deserves credit score, too. He simply received’t be screened. Dort hounded Doncic many of the evening, receiving help on that endeavor down the stretch from Cason Wallace.
Sport 1 marked Doncic’s thirty fifth profession playoff recreation and simply the third time he’s completed with fewer than 20 factors.
2. Thunder lock down Doncic and Irving early
Coach Mark Diagneault talked about earlier than the sport that his staff’s efforts to cease Doncic and Irving had been “not gonna be excellent,” including the Thunder wanted “to not flinch” when the Mavs duo heated up.
Oklahoma Metropolis stored Doncic and Irving on ice early, limiting the celebs to a mixed 6-of-16 capturing in the first half with seven turnovers whereas scoring 11 factors off Dallas’ 10 complete giveaways. In 74 video games collectively all-time, Sport 1 marked the third time each Doncic and Irving had been restricted to twenty factors or fewer.
Dallas is 0-3 in these circumstances.
Doncic and Irving scored 18 of the Mavs’ 53 factors within the first half. They completed combining for 12 assists and 9 turnovers.
That should’ve been a nice shock for the house staff given the harm Doncic and Irving inflicted within the opening spherical. The Dallas guards mixed for 338 factors within the first spherical, probably the most by a duo enjoying its first postseason sequence collectively in NBA historical past.
That accounted for 52.6% of Dallas’ complete factors in that spherical, the very best share of scoring from any Mavs duo in a playoff sequence.
3. OKC stays opportunistic
In case you watched the monitor meet OKC ran on New Orleans in the first round, you probably anticipated coming into Sport 1 that factors off turnovers could be crucial on this sequence.
The Thunder demonstrated what’s been the membership’s edge to date this postseason by outscoring the guests 22-12 in factors off 16 turnovers. That leaves OKC at plus-52 in that class for your entire playoffs.
Bear in mind, the Thunder outscored the Pelicans 79-37 in factors off turnovers within the first spherical and 71-39 in quick break factors. Dallas surrendered 11 factors off its 10 turnovers in the first half as OKC seized a 12-point lead within the second quarter that was lowered to 9 by intermission.
Led by Holmgren (two steals), OKC notched six steals in the first half. Dort completed with a team-high three steals, together with one within the second half that led to a transition dunk from Jalen Williams.
The Thunder have received the final 4 video games by a mixed 83 factors.
The staff’s plus-15.8 differential per recreation in Spherical 1 ranked because the second-best in franchise historical past, solely behind its 2016 sequence in opposition to Dallas wherein it completed with a plus 18.2 differential.
4. J-Dub nonetheless shining on the large stage
We watched Jalen Williams’ streak of 19-plus factors, five-plus rebounds, four-plus assists and one-plus steals in 4 consecutive video games come to an finish in Sport 1 (he missed that by some extent and a steal).
Williams probably doesn’t thoughts after putting on such a show within the fourth quarter.
Williams racked up 10 of his 18 factors in the fourth quarter, for a staff that began the sport capturing 5-for-16 from deep within the first half earlier than turning it on within the second half to hit 11 of 19.
Williams scored 10 straight factors over 96 seconds within the closing body and completed the evening with a block and just one turnover in 35 minutes whereas additionally guarding one of many NBA’s most deadly backcourts.
As for the streak that Williams noticed finish, it ranked as probably the most consecutive playoff video games with that stat line in NBA historical past. Corridor of Famer Mitch Richmond maintained it for 3 video games in 1989 whereas Willie Anderson achieved the feat with the San Antonio Spurs in two straight postseason outings.
5. Holmgren, Thunder dominate paint
Holmgren completed the opening spherical as the primary rookie since Tim Duncan in 1998 to finish a playoff sequence of no less than 4 video games averaging no less than 15 factors, eight rebounds and two blocks per recreation.
It seems he’s on the way in which to posting related numbers on this sequence.
Holmgren completed with 18 factors, seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals in Sport 1, logging a putback dunk and catching a lob early from Josh Giddey for a jam that obtained OKC’s crowd pumped early.
With Giddey and the remainder of the Thunder controlling the paint, OKC tallied a season-high 25 second-chance factors and outrebounded the Mavericks 52-39. Oklahoma Metropolis improved to 8-0 this season when it outrebounds an opponent by 10 or extra.
That’s not dangerous for a squad that completed the primary spherical with a rebound differential of minus-2.5 and the common season at minus-2.6
The Thunder additionally bested Dallas in factors within the paint 40-32.
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Michael C. Wright is a senior author for NBA.com. You’ll be able to e-mail him here, discover his archive here and comply with him on X.
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The 2024 NBA Playoffs Offered by Google Pixel is underway.
Whereas Luka Doncic and SGA are on the marquee, this sequence might come all the way down to the efficiency of supporting casts.
Anthony Edwards, Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are offering a glimpse into the long run this postseason.
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