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Thunder Remained Composed & Were Huge In The Little Things In Win Over Mavs To Tie Series At 2 Game A Piece

Dallas, TX – The Thunder looked to even the series back up again the Mavs Monday night in a very important game 4. They knew that they couldn’t let the Mavs go up 3-1 and have three chances to win one game.

They did not coming into the game with that urgency though. It was an extremely lackluster start for the Thunder on both ends of the floor. Offensively they were far from crisp. Didn’t really get many good looks because there was a lack of movement on their part. It made defending them very easy.

Defensively, it wasn’t much better. They still haven’t figured out the balance of giving Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving all of the attention needed to slow them down while also trying to keep the Mavs other guys from getting comfortable. It really hurt them early on and they looked a little lost on defense. Those things plus OKC not really matching Dallas’ energy had them down ten after one.

They came out in the second quarter with a little bit better energy but it wasn’t enough. It was also very uncharacteristic for them to not match the energy or effort from the other team. They were lucky to only be down eleven at halftime because the Mavs got a lot of open looks that just didn’t fall in the first half.

It was evident they needed to make a 180 to start the second half and although it wasn’t a 180 they got pretty close. About 145.

It was a pretty ugly third but they operated very well in the ugliness. Made the Mavs take tougher shots and played with more physicality. There weren’t as many open looks for the Mavs. On the offensive side of things, their woes were solved by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who took things into his own hands and carried the load.

He was much more aggressive in the third and pretty much forced the issue the whole quarter and they were able to get back in the game. After being down by as much as 14, the Thunder pulled within four after three quarters. For the first time in the game, it seemed like the Thunder had some type of control.

Once they somewhat grabbed control of the game to tie it up and take leads at different points, it came down to which team would be biggest in the little things down the stretch.

That was the Thunder.

The margin for error kept getting slimmer and slimmer and the Thunder were the team that didn’t really make any errors down the stretch while causing the Mavs to make enough errors so they could win the game. And that was enough. Thunder edged out a 100-96 victory and tied this series up at two games a piece.

Here Are The Reasons For The Win

Defense

The Thunder defense has really shined this post season and game 4 was no different. 

In a game where it looked like the Thunder were going to get ran off of the court because of the guys not named Kyrie or Luka, the Thunder really settled in on the defensive end. A night where they didn’t really have it going offensively, they really needed their defense. Holding any team to only 96 points is extremely impressive but it makes it a little more impressive considering they did it to a team with Kyrie and Luka. 

Holding the Mavs to only 40.9% from the field and 34.3% from three, the Thunder really brought it. They also held Kyrie and Luka to a combined 10-31 which only resulted in 27 points. It was pretty impressive night after the opening quarter where the Thunder allowed 30 points on 52.4% from the field and 45.5%. 

This team is best when they are locked in on the defensive end and when they needed it most, they shined bright on that end of the floor. 

Composure With Little Things 

The little things in this series have been huge. In four games, the team that was bigger in the little things has won every game. In game 4, that was the Thunder. 

After the last two games of being too small in the little things, the Thunder really needed to be big. They shined. Only eight turnovers, stayed even on the offensive glass and second chance points, got to most of the loose balls, the Thunder were huge in the little things. 

The most impressive part about them being big in the little things is how much of a pressure situation it was. They really couldn’t afford to go down 3-1. That added to the fact that it was a close game just raised the stakes. The margin for error kept getting slimmer and slimmer and the Thunder got bigger and bigger in those little things. 

If they want to win this series they will need to continue to be bigger in those little things. 

Guys Finding Other Ways To Be Effective

Simply put, anyone not named Shai just didn’t have it offensively in game 4. They really needed to find ways to be effective and that they did. 

As mentioned above, the margins for error in this game just kept getting smaller which meant as the game went along it became more and more important for guys who couldn’t hit a shot to find a way to be impactful. Especially down the stretch. 

Whether it was Jaylin Williams grabbing two offensive rebounds on one possession or Jalen Williams or Cason Wallace giving a little bit more on the defensive end, guys were locked in in other areas. That goes back to being big in the little things. When shots are falling it’s easier to give the extra effort because everyone is feeling good. When those shots aren’t falling though you have to make sure you are putting a lot of effort into those other areas. The small things. 

That won them the game. 

The Thunder were led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who had 34 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. He really started to force the issue to make sure the game stayed close. Chet Holmgren added 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks while Jalen Williams added 14 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals. Lu Dort hit some very timely shots to get him to 17 points and 8 rebounds.

OKC will look to win game 5 on Wednesday night and take back full control of this series as the winner of game 5 in a best of 7 series is 199-35.

 

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