Dallas Mavericks Squander 14-Point Lead in Game 4 Loss Against OKC Thunder, Tying Series

After shooting poorly fom the free throw line in a narrow defeat, the Dallas Mavericks squandered a 14-point lead to lose Game 4 against the Oklahoma City Thunder

May 13, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) runs back up the court / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS — Despite leading by as many as 14 points, the Dallas Mavericks squandered a chance to take a commanding 3-1 series lead after losing Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. As a result of the 100-96 defeat, the Mavs are now tied 2-2 in the series, heading to Paycom Center for Game 5 on Wednesday.

The Mavericks were ultimately plagued by poor free throw shooting, going 12-23 (52.5%) on the night compared to the Thunder's impressive 23-24 (95.8%) results. In a close game, it proved pivotal. Along with giving up

“We’ve just got to work on our free throws,” Doncic said. “We shot 52%. That’s unacceptable.”

May 13, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) runs back up the court / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander totaled 34 points, scoring 10 in the fourth quarter, with all of his made shots coming outside of the restricted and inside the 3-point line. He was frequently getting into short-range for pull-ups and tough shots, going 14-27 from the floor with only one 3-point attempt.

"He was unbelievable," Doncic said. "He kept making shots, and maybe at some point we got to send double-teams. He's just too good."

Irving was aggressive early, running a side ball screen with Gafford, who he found with timely passes, resulting in easy finishes. With Doncic opportunistically attacking for scoring chances, his step-back 3-pointer midway through the period extended the Mavericks' edge to 14-6, prompting the Thunder to use their first timeout of the night.

“I think there’s a focus on us,” Doncic said. “When we both drive it, they collapse the paint, almost five guys. So I think that’s been difficult for us. We’ve just got to find open teammates.”

After some initial jitters, the Mavericks settled into the game at a high level defensively. Dallas's emphasis on continuing to disrespect Josh Giddey as a shooter was clear, as expected, considering that doing so to a "weak" shooter has been the foundation of their approach. However, some truly dynamic plays helped propel Dallas, including a transition chase-down block from Derrick Jones Jr.

With continued strong execution defensively, the Mavericks created separation by dialing up their perimeter shooting. First, Doncic found Washington for a 3-point attempt over Gilgeous-Alexander in the corner, then received a short roll pass before a wide-open look was created for Jones after Irving passed it back. Dallas went up 22-8.

The Thunder deployed a small ball lineup with Jaylin Williams at the five and Isaiah Joe on the floor in place of Giddey. Oklahoma City went on a 6-0 run to narrow the Mavericks' advantage to single figures briefly until Irving playing out of a blitz created an open corner 3-pointer for Josh Green. Dante Exum, who has struggled the entire postseason, had a personal 5-0 run to help boost Dallas to a 30-18 advantage before Aaron Wiggins made a floater, making it 30-20.

With Doncic as the only Mavericks superstar on the court to begin the second quarter, the Thunder made a rallying effort to make it a six-point game briefly. Doncic made a flashy pass to Tim Hardaway Jr. after causing the defense to sink into the paint.

The Mavericks maintained a lead midway through the second quarter despite Doncic and Irving shooting a combined 3-12 from the floor. Irving continued to dish out great passes to teammates, leading to finishes, while the Mavericks generated defensive stops frequently. Dallas regained a double-figure edge after Irving found Washington in transition for a dunk attempt that created a goaltending call.

It was a significant struggle for the Thunder to generate anything other than short-range jump shots for a long stretch, whether Gilgeous-Alexander was attacking downhill before pulling up or a shooter was run off the line. Irving converted his first 3-pointer in the final minute of the second quarter, establishing a 10-point edge for the Mavericks before Gilgeous-Alexander hit another short-range jumper. However, Irving drew a blitz before Doncic received the ball on the weak side and attacked with a step-back 3-pointer against Dort's aggressive on-ball defense. Dallas was up 54-43 entering the break after each superstar got a jumper to fall.

In the first half, Oklahoma City was contained to shooting just 15-43 (34.9%) overall and 1-11 (9.1%) from beyond the arc. The Mavericks had a staggering nine blocks in the first half, with Lively (four), Jones (three), and Gafford (two) each recording multiple. Doncic added two steals.

Coming out of halftime, the Thunder started Joe in place of Giddey. While the goal was to have more shooting on the court, Oklahoma City continued to poorly space in the half-court, often with a perimeter player just loitering in the paint instead of cutting through, or Holmgren crowding the dunker spot as a non-factor instead of spacing out. It made it too simple for Dallas to live with Gilgeous-Alexander continuing to try to get to a second or third move and take a contested short-range jumper shot or floater.

It wasn't until midway through the third quarter that Oklahoma City began properly spacing in the half-court, resulting in an easy finish off Gilgeous-Alexander's lob to Holmgren. The Thunder made it a four-point game entering the final period after Dallas was held to 15 points in the third quarter. It was by far the least effective period offensively for the Mavericks.

The Mavericks had Doncic and Irving on the court to begin the fourth quarter, with Jones, Hardaway, and Lively rounding out the unit. Doncic posted up Dort before making an inside move for a floater and finding Jones for an alley-oop dunk, bringing a needed boost to Dallas to begin the quarter. However, Oklahoma City scored a game-high 35 points in the period, while the Mavericks could not convert at the free throw line in big moments or come up with timely plays.

In the fourth quarter, the Thunder turned to Kenrich Williams next to Holmgren to have size on the floor. Dort made a 3-pointer to make it a three-point game, but Doncic fired back with a short-range step-back. After a series of empty possessions from Oklahoma City, Doncic got to the free-throw line and split them, putting the Mavericks back up by six.

Lively was taken out after battling for a rebound, leading to Holmgren making a 3-pointer as a transition trailer. Lively answered back with an emphatic dunk against contact for an and-one, but missed the free throw. Oklahoma City was unable to avoid fouling frequently.

Dallas gave up a transition 3-pointer for Wallace, but Irving fired back with a baseline pull-up of his own. The Mavericks could not break the game open, but they came up with timely answers to maintain the advantage for much of the fourth quarter until clutch time.

Williams attacked downhill for an and-one floater against Irving to reduce the Mavericks' lead to 82-78 with 6:33 left in the final period. However, without a rim protector on the court, the Thunder struggled to get stops against the Mavericks, beginning with Jones attacking off the catch for a finish, followed by Gafford playing through Wallace for a finish. Holmgren returned to the court after this sequence to offer a paint prensence.

Gilgeous-Alexander continued to attack with pull-up jumpers inside the 3-point line, with one of many in the fourth quarter tying it up 86-86 with under four minutes remaining in regulation.

“This is probably the most meaningful game I've played in my career,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

The clutch-time back-and-forth between both sides was intense. With Doncic hobbled after trying to jump a pass, Gilgeous-Alexander found Holmgren in the corner for a go-ahead 3-pointer. Doncic responded by connecting with Lively for a lob out of pick-and-roll, but Dort fired right back with a made 3-pointer to push Oklahoma City up by four. Hardaway responded with a shot fake into a reload from behind the 3-point line to make it a one-point game again. Williams attacked baseline for a dunk, extending the Thunder's advantage back to three points.

"There's a balance that you get to find," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "When to attack, when to pass, when to make the right play, when to not make the right play and trust your skill. It's something that I battle with a lot and try to be really good at, and a lot of great players battle with it and try to be really good at it.

"But ultimately, it just comes down to, for the most part, taking what the defense gives you and trusting your teammates," Gilgeous-Alexander explained. "You need 'em to win at a high level. That's clear as day, and I want to win at a high level, so I have no option."

Dallas had possession, facing a 94-91 deficit and 1:17 remaining in regulation, before turning it over and allowing a breakaway finish. It proved to be a game-wrecking play, putting Dallas down by five points with just over a minute left. Lively split a pair of free throws with a chance to make it a single-possession game, resulting in Oklahoma City being up by four points with one minute to play.

A lob from Doncic to Jones made it a two-point game before Gilgeous-Alexander had a short-range step-back jumper rim out. Dallas was down by two points with 12.3 seconds on the clock. Doncic drove to the paint and fell hard but drew a foul in the process before splitting the free throws. Despite having a chance to tie, the Mavericks faced a one-point deficit.

P.J. Washington led the Mavericks with 21 points and was their top scorer for the third consecutive game, with five made 3-pointers. Luka Doncic was held to 18 points on 6-20 shooting from the floor, 2-9 from deep, and 4-6 on free throws with seven turnovers while adding 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Kyrie Irving only shot 11 times, totaling nine points and nine assists.

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