Dallas Mavericks Put On Defensive Clinic in Game 3 Win Over OKC Thunder; Take 2-1 Series Lead
The Dallas Mavericks stole home-court advantage from the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night and were looking for more in Game 3 at American Airlines Center on Saturday afternoon. In a game that saw several back-and-forth swings of momentum, it was the Mavs who came away with a gutsy 105-101 win to take a 2-1 series lead.
Dallas' star tandem of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving looked sluggish at the start of this one, but both ended up having their moments. Doncic, who has been fighting through a knee sprain, finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists while shooting 7-17 percent from the field and 1-4 percent from 3-point range. Irving turned things on in the fourth quarter, as he often does, finishing with 22 points, five rebounds, and seven assists. Irving shot 10-17 from the field.
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If the Mavs can beat the top-seeded Thunder two more times in four tries, they'll move on to their second Western Conference Finals in three years.
“If you’re here you got to believe," Doncic said. "I believe we can [go all the way,] but it’s going to be hard. We didn’t do nothing yet. We won two games and we need to win four.”
For the second consecutive game, P.J. Washington provided a huge offensive spark for Dallas by scoring 19 points in the first half alone. Washington, in addition to playing excellent perimeter defense, finished with a team-high 27 points, six rebounds, and two assists while shooting 11-23 from the field and 5-12 from deep. No. 25 has become a folk hero during these playoffs, and the legend continues to grow.
Despite Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finishing with a game-high 31 points, the Mavs' defense did a good job limiting his efficiency. Gilgeous-Alexander only shot 10-23 for the game, and Doncic drew a crucial charge on him in the final minute to essentially seal the victory for Dallas.
One underrated performance for Dallas in Game 3 came from rookie big man Dereck Lively II. Although he only shot 2-7 from the field, Lively finished with 12 points and eight rebounds while being a +16 in 27 minutes. OKC went with the Hack-a-Shaq strategy for Livley late in the fourth quarter, hoping for missed free throws. After Livley hit four in a row with about three minutes remaining, OKC didn't foul him again.
The Mavs will be back in action on Monday night, as they'll take on the Thunder in Game 4 at AAC. The game will tip-off at 8:30 p.m. CT on TNT as Dallas looks for a commanding 3-1 series lead.
