Luka Doncic and the Mavs took physical control of the series from the top-seeded Thunder.
DALLAS – Oklahoma City is off to a 5-0 start in the playoffs, but its youthful rebound has been weakened the last two games by the brutal physicality of the Dallas Mavericks.
The young Thunder possesses fresher legs, more overall depth, and the speed even in this series that he currently trails. As OKC faces its first real test of adversity these playoffsCoach Mark Daigneault hopes his team can rely on the muscle memory built over the regular season to win.
“I really never saw this team change in character,” he said. “Especially the next day. Maybe in a game or at some point in the game we’ll break character. But we are still good the next day. We have to improve throughout the series.
The question is how heads into Game 4 in Dallas, where the Mavs have lost just once throughout the playoffs.
Here are four things to look for in Game 4 (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT):
1.It’s time for OKC to reorder “priorities”
If you had told OKC before the start of this series that superstars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving would average 40.3 points over the first three contests, he would have happily signed up.
The problem is that the Thunder didn’t account for the extra average of 28 points that Dallas would receive from PJ Washington in these final two games. The former Charlotte Hornet is making the playoffs for the first time in his career.
“We know he’s a very good player,” Daigneault said of Washington. “But you have to figure out what (are) your priorities. If you have 10 priorities against a team, that’s where you really hemorrhage. So you need to determine your priorities. We think we’ve done it.
It’s time to start again.
These last two games have boosted the confidence of an already hungry Washington, who probably also feels disrespected by OKC’s decision to consistently leave him open in the corners for wide-open shots.
And the fact that he continues to drain these attempts burns more confidence into the psyches of playmakers Doncic and Irving to find the 25-year-old. Washington continues these last two games with a rate of 53.7% from the field and 52.2% beyond the arc.
Dallas is 4-2 in the playoffs when Washington scores 20 or more points.
“He hoops,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We have to turn that water off if we want to win the series, that’s for sure.”
2. The game within the game
During a break in play in Game 3, an exasperated Doncic approached referee Bill Kennedy with his hands outstretched, demonstrating the tactic Luguentz Dort was using to protect him.
“He can’t keep me like this,” Doncic told Kennedy. “He did it the whole game. Come on man.
As Doncic walked away, Dort smartly approached Kennedy to give him his perspective.
Dort played a major role in OKC limiting Doncic to 7 of 17 shooting in Game 3, but he fouled out with 7.2 seconds remaining and the Mavs led by 3.
“He’s going to make great plays,” Daigneault said of Doncic. “How much can you exercise him?” How much can you make him work? It’s Lu’s deal. He’ll make you win everything. You’re going to get the most out of him in certain plays, certain nights. But it won’t be won. »
We’ll see how things play out in Game 4, arguably the most important game of this series.
“(Doncic) will always have a conversation with the officials,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said.
3. Josh Giddey’s Dilemma
First of all, Oklahoma City guard Josh Giddey being minus-28 in 41 minutes throughout this series should not be an indictment of his prowess as a basketball player. This is more telling of his place in the playoff chess game.
Dallas continues to leave the 21-year-old open at the 3-point line, but Giddey hasn’t made the Mavs pay consistently enough to continue playing him his normal amount of minutes. The third-year man shot 4 of 8 from the field and 1 for 4 deep in game 3.
This led to increased minutes for Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe and Cason Wallace. The trio combined to shoot 9 of 17 for 22 points, with Joe leading the way with 5 of 7, including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc.
Certainly, the Mavs expect the Thunder to turn to a replacement for Giddey, potentially in the starting lineup.
Oklahoma City has tried several ways to alleviate Giddey’s liability on both ends of the court, but nothing has proven to be effective on a consistent basis.
4. Thunder wants/needs to make noise in the paint
The Thunder ranked top 10 in the league during the regular season in points in the paint (52.5), but we saw that number drop by almost 8 points throughout the semifinals of the Western Conference.
Credit the defense of Dallas greats Daniel Gafford and Derek Lively II for taking away OKC’s bread and butter.
“They have two good rim protectors on their team,” Thunder forward Jalen Green said. “So you have to try to find a balance between when to attack and the angles to finish. But I think a lot of it is also about trying to care and read what they give in that sense.
SGA seems to be the most affected by Dallas’ dominance at the rim. The 25-year-old ranked sixth in the NBA during the regular season in points in the paint, averaging 14.3 per game. Through the first three games of this series, he is averaging 11.7.
The Mavericks outscored the Thunder by 14 points in the paint in Game 3.
“Be decisive and be smarter with our attacks,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They have good rim protection and good size on the wings and with their bigs. It’s about being aggressive and smart.
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Michael C. Wright is a senior writer for NBA.com. You can send him an email herefind his archives here and follow him X.
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