How can OKC Thunder beat Dallas Mavericks in Game 6 to extend NBA playoff series?

The Thunder is headed to Dallas, down 3-2 and facing elimination for the first time this postseason. Its offense has sputtered. Mark Daigneault thought the defense wasn't where it was supposed to be in Game 5.

What can the Thunder do to win Game 6 and extend the series?

Thunder beat writer Joel Lorenzi and columnist Joe Mussatto preview the potential close-out game.

Lorenzi: It’ll be tough. The Thunder offense has flamed out, and with the extent that Luka Doncic has activated the Mavericks’ role players, OKC’s plate is full.

Daigneault said after Game 5 that he liked the team’s offensive process, that the Thunder found at least a few more cracks, a gasp of air from the headlock that Dallas’ paint clogging and lane sealing had put it in. But in all likelihood, even with whatever rotational changes Daigneault might be cooking, the Mavs probably won’t move their big men from their designated places under the rim.

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Dallas will probably continue to force the Thunder to shoot mostly preferable 3s. And Daigneault expectedly doubled down Friday, saying that the 3s are available and the NBA’s best regular-season shooting team is going to shoot them.

It’s easier said than done, what with shot variance and any other universal pull, but OKC just has to make shots. It’s shot 24.7% on open 3s this series. With the way the Mavs have limited Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, a swing in the right direction in the team’s outside shotmaking feels like the only way.

Mussatto: That's a dismal 3-point percentage, especially on open 3s. OKC has been unlucky from deep at the worst of times, but I've been extremely impressed with Dallas' defense. The Mavericks have built a fortress around the rim. In the regular season, OKC averaged 52.5 points per game in the paint. In this series, just 41.2.

The Mavericks are forcing SGA into tough shots (which he's made at an absurd rate) or having him kick out to shooters who are open, but who continue to miss. If the Thunder knocks down its 3s, it can win Game 6. Either that, or Jalen Williams will have to step up and help Gilgeous-Alexander shoulder some of the scoring burden.

I know this is a marginal move, Joel, but I think it's time to dust off Kenrich Williams again. We saw him in Game 4, and he gave the Thunder a much-needed edge. The Mavs have been the tougher team. They've even bullied the Thunder at times. You know who doesn't stand for that kind of stuff? Kenrich Williams.

Any thoughts on Kenny Hustle or other moves Daigneault might make? We already saw him play the new starting lineup card.

More: Mussatto: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has passed last test by proving himself in NBA playoffs

Lorenzi: I was a bit surprised to not see him, even if in just a short burst, in Game 5. Heart is a buzzword. Soft versus tough is usually a debate started by dissatisfied viewers that want to relieve themselves from the nuances of the game. But the difference in expressed fire has been notable. Kenrich changed that, even if just for a moment.

When Lively thought to swing on the rim and kick his feet wherever he pleased, when Dallas’ frontcourt hoped to push the Thunder’s around — Kenrich was there. The Thunder could only hope playing him would make that energy contagious.

As far as any other moves, I think fans are waiting to see whether Cason Wallace starts instead of Josh Giddey or Isaiah Joe. Or if Giddey is even out of the starting lineup again.

Wallace was my guess in the previously unlikely scenario that Giddey was benched. Mostly because Joe feels so necessary in the late quarter lineups (though they needed the idea of him just as bad to start Game 5). But matchup wise, there’s obviously a gap between Wallace and the other two as a defender. It would make cross matching easier, and could allow the Thunder to throw different looks at both Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic to open the game.

Offensively and as far as general processing, Wallace hasn’t looked like a rookie. Not throughout the season, and especially not in the fourth quarter of Dallas’ Game 4 collapse. His decision making is sound. He never has to over-extend himself. He hit a couple big shots in Game 4, and has been relatively sound in his spots. He’s shooting 35.7% from the corners and 37.5% above the break.

I get the thought of overloading your on-ball defenders, and that that’s probably more of a late game thing than anything. But as Daigneault has said before dropping the hammer on those still curious about his starters, OKC is looking at everything.

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Mussatto: I think Joe will get the start again in Giddey's place. If you're the Thunder, you just hope Joe knocks down his 3s this game. Some of the best shooting performances of his career have come in Dallas, so maybe he'll channel those good vibes.

Wallace's trajectory is trending up this series. The defense he's played on Kyrie Irving has been phenomenal, and like you mentioned, he plays within his role offensively. That's rare for a rookie. How is that guy only 20 years old?

To wrap up here before we drive down to Dallas for Game 6, I just want to add that I'm awfully curious how the Thunder will respond on the road after getting blown out at home in Game 5. This is new terrain for this Thunder team. I like the Mavs to close out the series Saturday, but this series has been filled with unexpected twists.

More: Five reasons why OKC Thunder season is on the brink after Game 5 loss to Dallas Mavericks

Game 6: Thunder at Mavericks

TIPOFF: 7 p.m. Saturday at American Airlines Center in Dallas (ESPN)

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How Thunder can win Game 6, extend series vs Mavericks in NBA playoffs