Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was hitting his usual number of shots for Oklahoma City until the final quarter. Most of his teammates struggled until the crucial moments.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points as the Thunder overcame a playoff-record 13 blocks by the Mavericks, winning 100-96 on Monday night to tie their Western Conference semifinal series at 2-2.
Chet Holmgren and Lu Dort made key 3-pointers late in the game, while Jalen Williams drove for a dunk, giving the Thunder a 94-91 lead with 1:29 remaining. Meanwhile, Dallas players and coaches protested for a double-dribble call.
Crew chief Zack Zarba stated in a pool report that video evidence confirmed the officials’ decision not to call the double dribble. He explained that Williams didn’t have full control of the ball before starting his dribble with two hands.
Each team won one game on their opponent’s home court. Game 5 will take place on Wednesday night in Oklahoma City.
“We just kept at it,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We kept pushing, taking it one possession at a time. And eventually, the game turned in our favor.”
In the Mavericks’ final attempt to tie the game, Luka Doncic had two free throws with 10.1 seconds left, trailing by two. However, the Dallas star missed the first one, contributing to the Mavericks’ poor 12-for-23 performance from the free-throw line. In contrast, Oklahoma City made 23 of 24 free throws.
