Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carries Thunder past Mavericks in clutch to tie NBA playoff series
DALLAS — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has agonized over stretches like the one he had late Monday night. With the weight of a franchise on his shoulders, his influence so deeply interlaced into a meaningful playoff game, he ponders.
He wonders, as he’s throwing seemingly unconscious blows like Beatrix Kiddo in "Kill Bill" — an arsenal of pull-up jumpers, keeping an unrecognizable offense glued at the cracks — whether he’s making the right decisions.
When should I attack? When should I pass? When do I make the right play? When do I not make the right play, instead letting my rhythmic handle and silky jumper make music?
At some point in the fourth quarter of the Thunder’s series-tying 100-96 comeback win in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals at American Airlines Center, Gilgeous-Alexander let go. Of the nagging thoughts, the conflicting voices. He needed to trust — himself, his teammates.
Only then could his conscience rest.
“It’s something that I battle with a lot and try to be really good at,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “And a lot of great players battle with it and try to be really good at it. But ultimately, it just comes down to … trusting your teammates. You need them to win at a high level and that's clear as day.
“And I want to win at a high level, so I have no option.”
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Monday’s Game 4 looked like Saturday’s Game 3. A slow start. A hole the Thunder spent quarters trying to erase. Gilgeous-Alexander needed to seize the game, walking gaggles of defenders down into his spots before the Thunder could have its true chance to win.
But Monday saw a slight tweak. SGA, once again subject to playing more than 41 minutes, didn’t run out of answers. He continued to be the answer until OKC’s comeback was complete, even managing to loop in his teammates along the way.
Through three quarters Gilgeous Alexander was 10 for 20 from the field for 24 points. He finished with 34 points, eight rebounds and five assists. He sized up defenders into familiar 2-point jumpers. He battled strenuous circumstances, with a Dallas defense that looked completely transformed.
And through the game’s first 41 minutes, Jalen Williams was 2 for 14 from the field. Lu Dort was 3 for 11 and 2 for 7 from deep. Chet Holmgren, underutilized and often looked off, was 5 for 8. He’d attempted just one 3-pointer, partially because of Dallas’ switching and partially because of his ball-handling teammates.
Gilgeous-Alexander still chose them when it mattered.
With 3:24 to play and OKC in a tie game, mostly only possible due to Gilgeous-Alexander’s miraculous shotmaking, the All-NBA guard found Holmgren for a rare corner 3. The 7-footer cashed it to take a lead.
With 2:14 remaining and the Thunder leading by one, SGA found Dort — who missed consecutive 3s on a single possession four minutes earlier. Dort made the 3 in one of the biggest plays of his career.
What came next grew obvious as it unfolded. With a Dallas turnover and an SGA recovery with 1:10 to play, the lead guard split a ball between two Mavs defenders to get Williams a lead pass on a fastbreak layup.
“For a young, ambitious star player,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said, “I was blown away by those plays.”
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They were especially notable considering the mode Gilgeous-Alexander was in. He’d gone 4 for 7 in the fourth quarter. He’d hypnotized with his sway and leaning jumpers. He’d slipped in a jumper that traveled over the backboard.
“That was ill-advised,” he said later.
But any internal advice was timely. When to shoot. When to pass. When to trust fall in a game that, for most of the night, was trending toward the Thunder falling behind 3-1 in the series. All while the remainder of his team shot 32.3% from the field.
With Dallas’ last chance at saving face, Kyrie Irving navigated the sideline with less than 10 seconds before being greeted by Williams and rookie Cason Wallace. Wallace had been remarkable, hardly possessing gaudy numbers but being solid in everything he did in the fourth quarter.
He hoped to try his luck. Instead of fouling up three, Wallace wanted to steal Irving’s lunch money and any chance at the game. Elsewhere, Gilgeous-Alexander fouled P.J. Washington.
Gilgeous-Alexander barked. There was miscommunication. Wallace probably had the right gamble, but Gilgeous-Alexander was spooked once he saw Washington at the top of the key. He flipped.
And then later, he profusely apologized. He dapped up Wallace. In real time, he recognized the right decision.
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Striking the balance between Dallas’ backcourt and its shooters
Washington’s legend lost a chapter Monday.
After two unfathomable games through Games 2 & 3, Washington saw some variance. He saw more attention. He saw adjustment. And he shot 7 for 19 from the field for 21 points.
For one night, OKC struck the balance.
Luka Doncic’s statline appeared electric for anyone not named Luka Doncic: 18 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists. But after 42 minutes, nearly all of the six shots he hit were kicks to a Thunder that was down.
A team that, for a while, inched toward a seven- to 10-point lead that felt like a half-million dollar debt. It would take nothing for Dallas to extend it, coasting knowing Washington could cash in from where he had through most of the series. Dallas was 9 of 21 from deep at halftime.
But Doncic took 20 shots throughout the night. In the fourth quarter, he went 2 for 5 from the field.
Kyrie Irving, his shot-making partner in crime, finished just 4 for 11. He was 1 for 5 in the fourth quarter. Washington went 0 for 3 in the period.
On all accounts, the Thunder forced a fourth quarter that looked nothing like the rest of the game. The Mavs shot just 41.7% from the field and 1 for 5 from 3 after seemingly burying OKC with the heftiest single-digit lead in history.
Dallas slipped, and OKC covered as many bases as it could, finding the execution Daigneault knew had been tucked away for a couple nights.
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Williams and Dort’s resilience
On several fronts, Monday’s game was OKC’s worst of the series through three quarters.
Williams was cold. Dort was invited to shoot 3 after 3 to no avail. He swallowed officiating, eventually exploding at a call late game. Neither had their best days.
But with Monday’s game in the balance, each made the plays of their lives.
Williams delivered a necessary and-1 turning seven fourth quarter points on 3-for-7 shooting. He scored as many points in the fourth as he did the rest of the game. Dort delivered a monumental 3-pointer and a steal to shift momentum down the stretch.
Before then, they’d combined to shoot 5 for 27 from the field. In the nature of the playoffs, they flipped the game — and their performances — on its head.
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Inside the box score
95.8%: Free-throw shooting (23-for-24) for the Thunder in Game 4.
52.2%: Free-throw shooting (12-for-23) for the Mavericks in Game 4.
21.8: Points per game for Mavericks forward P.J. Washington so far in West semifinals after averaging 12.9 PPG in the regular season.
OKC Thunder vs Dallas Mavericks playoff series schedule
Game 1: OKC 117, Dallas 95
Game 2: Dallas 119, OKC 110
Game 3: Dallas 105, OKC 101
Game 4: OKC 100, Dallas 96
Game 5: 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 15, in OKC (TNT)
Game 6: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18, in Dallas (ESPN)
Game 7 (if necessary): 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 20, in OKC (TNT)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carries Thunder past Mavericks to tie series
