The Dallas Mavericks had this game won. They were up 10 at the end of the first quarter, 11 at halftime, 14 early in the 3rd quarter, and by 8 with eight minutes to go. All they had to do was make free throws and some of their usual shots. They just couldn’t and would fall at the end 100-96, being out-scored 28-16 in the final 8 minutes of the game.

We’ll get to it more at the end of the article, but Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic struggled to score or get momentum all game. When the two superstars are shooting the ball this inefficiently and the team as a whole can’t make free throws, it’s hard to overcome that.

Still, Dallas had their chances. Where did it go so poorly?

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It started in the second half. For the third quarter, Dallas was just 5/20 from the floor. Not ideal, but they held OKC to 8/24, so they kept them at arm’s length.

In the 4th quarter, both teams were over 40% from the floor, but the biggest difference was Dallas’ 1/5 shooting from deep, while OKC was 4/8 from three. Pair that with a 23/24 free throw performance from OKC while Dallas was 12/23 and that’s your ball game.

Let’s get into some of these plays.

Over the final five minutes of the game, Dallas made just three field goals and this was one of them. If there has ever been a more “no no no no YES” shot, I’d like to see it. Lu Dort had just made a 3 on the other end to extend the lead to 4, the Thunder’s biggest lead of the night to this point, and Dallas was desperate on offense.

Credit to Tim Hardaway Jr. for knocking down a shot, but it shows how tough life was for Luka Doncic in this game. He gets in the post and turns to be double-teamed and all five members of OKC have a foot in the paint ready to help. It’s a miracle this “pass” even got out to Hardaway.

A few seconds later, this sequence happens. Jalen Williams receives a pass but fumbles it, while Dereck Lively II gets in his body space assuming Williams had dribbled. It certainly looked like he did, commentator and former All-Star Grant Hill thought so on the broadcast, and Dallas was confused about why he was allowed a live dribble again. Williams would finish the play with a dunk.

Here is what referee Zach Zarba said after the game regarding the play: “We felt Williams never gained control of that basketball.  Therefore, he’s allowed to initiate a dribble after he secures it.  Post-game video review confirmed our on-court ruling.”

Then when asked to clarify what gaining control constitutes: “It’s got to be a controlled dribble, possession of the ball, generally something that you would reset the shot clock on if it was a turnover.  For example, if that would have been stolen and that action would have occurred you would not have reset the shot clock on that play because it’s not deemed a possession.  That was more a bat that was more of a bat than a fumble than a controlled dribble therefore he’s allowed after he secures it to initiate the dribble.”

With that explanation, it makes sense. But it’s a huge swing in that moment of that game. Dallas could’ve had a turnover going the other way with the clock stopped to get something set up. Instead, Williams gets a free dunk at the basket.

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The game ended here, in my opinion. It’s a great after-timeout set by Jason Kidd and his staff to get Doncic free and running toward the basket, but he’s fouled and sent to the line.

Then he misses the first free throw. Any chance of sending this game to overtime instantly got much harder. If OKC made both free throws at the other end, they were almost guaranteed to foul on the ensuing offensive possession for Dallas, which is what happened. PJ Washington missed the first and made the second, the opposite of what Dallas would’ve preferred.

Doncic has to be better than this. He knows it. The team knows it. I imagine he’ll respond in a big way for Game 5. He finished with a triple-double, 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists, but he was just 6/20 from the floor, 2/9 from three, and 4/6 from the charity stripe with 7 turnovers in this game. Somehow, he was the only Maverick above 50% from the free-throw line in this game.

Kyrie Irving also has to be better. He was dishing the ball well in the first half but couldn’t score: 9 points and 9 assists while shooting 4/11 from the floor. It’s the second time this series he’s been held under 10 points and the first time in his playoff career he’s been held under 10 points twice in a series. He can’t be taking the fourth-most shots on the team most nights. He’s been fantastic down the stretch in these playoffs for Dallas and this is more than likely a blip but it can’t become a trend.

P.J. Washington has found his rhythm from 3, going 5/11 from distance in this game. However, he was just 2/8 on 2-point attempts. He usually has that push shot in the paint working, but it wasn’t falling. For the third straight game though, he led the Mavericks in scoring.

On the other end, it was a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander show, who finished with 34 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and zero turnovers. Dallas has to find a way to get the ball out of his hands moving forward. Jalen Williams hasn’t played great, Chet Holmgren has been hit or miss throughout the series (he was good in Game 4), and Lu Dort isn’t a shot-creator. If the Mavericks want to come away with this series, it starts with how they defend SGA.

Game 5, with the series tied 2-2, is back in Oklahoma City on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. CST. There will be a Game 6 in Dallas no matter what on Saturday.

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