Thunder’s three-point barrage takes down Mavericks in Game 1
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) celebrates after a basket against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half of game one of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs.
The Thunder slowed down Luka Doncic in Game 1. And they had too many offensive threats for the Mavericks to stop.
The Thunder shot 16-of-35 from three-point range in their 117-95 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Four of those threes came during a three-minute 15-2 fourth-quarter run that effectively ended Game 1, making Dallas head coach Jason Kidd clear his bench.
Seven different Thunder players made two or more three-pointers, a balanced attack that the Mavericks defense couldn’t handle. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29, Chet Holmgren put up 19 and Jalen Williams had 18, including eight points in a span of over a minute in the fourth quarter.
OKC’s work on the boards was also a team effort. The Thunder had 52 rebounds to Dallas’ 39, with six players grabbing five or more boards and SGA leading the way with nine. He finished one rebound and one assist short of a triple-double.
Meanwhile, Dallas got 19 points and nine assists from Luka Doncic, but he shot 6-of-19 and had five turnovers. Kyrie Irving had 20 points and four turnovers. Daniel Gafford’s 16 points and 11 rebounds were big, but rookie backup center Dereck Lively II looked lost trying to keep up with the Thunder; Dallas missed the injured Maxi Kleber.
The Mavericks knew Gilgeous-Alexander would put up points, and they probably knew OKC would force turnovers (15 in Game 1). But they may not have expected the Thunder to hit them from behind the arc so much, and from so many different players.
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