Oklahoma City, OK – The Thunder look to take a 2-0 series lead over the Mavs on Thursday night taking full control of this series. They knew that it would be a tougher go than game 1 because of how good the Mavs are and the adjustments they were going to make. One of them just hitting the open shots they missed in game 1.
Starting the game, the Thunder came out a little lackadaisical on both ends of the floor and the Mavs were the more energetic team. That quickly changed after they started to play with more energy on the defensive end and use that to get their offense going.
But It wasn’t enough in the first half. The Mavs were the much more physical team and were being rewarded for it. They made the Thunder take tougher shots and sped them up a little bit. Offensively, Luka Doncic had it going early and the Thunder paid a lot of attention to him which left other Mavs open. The shots they missed in game 1 though were going down. Particularly from three where the Mavs were 12-24 in the first half.
Thunder desperately needed an energy boost.
And they got that when they went to a heavy defensive lineup with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams. They doubled Luka a lot more getting the ball out of his hands and got to the open guy quickly to make them take a tough shot. As we’ve seen all season with this team, they use their defense to give themselves energy and they fed off of it really well. Using a 15-4 run to get back into the game with only a 6 point deficit going into halftime.
Thunder came out with the same energy to start the third as the had to end the half and it was mainly because of one big change to start the half. Aaron Wiggins got the start to the half in place of Josh Giddey and it paid off really well. He was everywhere on the floor. Diving for loose balls and creating extra opportunities for the Thunder.
The Mavs are a good team though and took control of the game back. Interesting enough though, they grabbed control back when Luka went to the bench. It was a tie tie game when he took his third quarter break and was 93-83 when he checked back in. Once again, the Thunder needed a big energy boost.
It did not come. Once the Mavs took control of the game they did not let go. This was a night the Thunder just didn’t have it for a lot of the night. They had some stretches of really good basketball but they just didn’t last long enough and that led to a 119-110 loss. It’s their first loss in these playoffs and their first loss in a little over a month and the Mavs tied the series up at 1-1.
Here Are The Reasons For The Loss
Consistency
At times, the Thunder played really good basketball. They didn’t play it consistent enough though. On both ends of the floor.
The offense was clicking at times but then they would get stuck playing one on one or not pushing the pace. That really allowed the Mavs defense to be a little easier. Then defensively, Thunder didn’t play nearly consistent enough. Losing guys a lot, not enough physicality, and the point of attack defense wasn’t where it needed to be on a consistent basis.
When they had it clicking on both ends of the floor they looked really good as they have all post season. It just wasn’t nearly consistent enough.
Too Much Attention To Luka?
This sounds a little crazy because any team has to give Luka the most attention. That’s just how good he is. At times though, it seemed like they gave him a little too much.
Which again, sounds crazy. However, when doubling him, he was easily able to find the open man and even when they didn’t fully send the double they would lose guys on the three point line leading to open threes. Those open threes led to the Mavs shooting 18-37 (48.6%) from three alone. Not going to beat many teams when they shoot that well.
Going forward, the Thunder will need to find the balance of doubling Luka and being able to get to those open guys. Especially with the next two games on the road.
Execution Of The Little Things
In any playoff game, it is extremely important to be big in the little things. The Thunder weren’t that big in game 2.
The execution of the little things just wasn’t there for the most part. The missed shots are one thing but it goes deeper than that. Too many missed assignments on the defensive end that led to open looks. Too many missed block outs that led to offensive rebounds and second chance points. Not enough consistency.
Those little things when added up turn into big things and cost a team a loss like they did for the Thunder in game 2. The positive thing though is the those things are easily correctable. The Thunder will have a chance to make things right when they head to Dallas for game 3.
The Thunder were led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who had 33 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 blocks. Jalen Williams added 20 points 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.
OKC will look to take back control of this series when the series heads to Dallas for game 3 on Saturday.