Dallas, TX
Free Throw Shooting Dooms Dallas Mavericks in Game 4: 3 Game-Changing Plays
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?
READ MORE: Dallas Mavericks Squander 14-Point Lead in Game 4 Loss Against OKC Thunder, Tying Series
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.
THJ for 3 pic.twitter.com/teLmE1CKjc
— MavsHighlights (@MavsHighlights) May 14, 2024
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.
Jalen Williams – WITH THE DUNK 🔥🔥
— FastBreakPhenom (@FastBreakPhenom) May 14, 2024
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.
READ MORE: Dallas Mavericks Exclusive: P.J. Washington Details Hot Playoff Shooting After Trade Adjustment
Luka Doncic missed one of the game tying free throws with 10 seconds left in the clock 😬
[🎥 @BleacherReport ] pic.twitter.com/VyPe8J5EHI
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) May 14, 2024
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.
READ MORE: Former Dallas Maverick Believes Mavs Will Win NBA Finals in Next Two or Three Years
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Dallas, TX
New video of Lake Dallas explosion draws focus on order decades ago to remove old plastic pipes
The search for the next general manager or president of basketball operations of the Dallas Mavericks has begun. They terminated Nico Harrison in November, which was about nine months too late, and gave any available candidates clear notice that they were open for business.
The plan was always to wait until after the season to start the search. While names popped up as the season reached an end, they didn’t begin turning over the staff until the Monday after the season ended. However, Dallas Mavericks fans are not going to like how the team is going about the search.
Patrick Dumont Leading Search for General Manager
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that the Mavericks are not hiring a search firm in their hunt for a new lead executive. Instead, team governor Patrick Dumont is “acting as his own point person.”
This is an… interesting decision, to say the least. Dumont is not a basketball person whatsoever, and most organizations usually hire a search firm. The Chicago Bulls hired one as they look for their replacement for Arturas Karnisovas. Just because a firm is hired doesn’t mean a team will listen, though.
The Mavericks hired a firm in their last search for a GM. They let Donnie Nelson go in 2021 after a long tenure with the Mavs. Instead of listening to the firm, though, Mark Cuban ignored it to hire Nico Harrison, who had no previous NBA front office experience. Harrison had been an executive with Nike, which gave him connections with players like Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and plenty of others.
For a while, that seemed to be working out okay. While he still had some questionable transactions, such as trading for Christian Wood and letting Jalen Brunson walk in free agency, they were still able to make a run to the NBA Finals in 2024. Then, he blew it all up, trading away Luka Doncic for an older and injured Anthony Davis, and the team hasn’t been the same since.
It’s imperative that the Mavericks get this hire correct. The interim Co-GM setup with Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley has performed admirably, but the 2026 NBA Draft is important for the Mavs to get right. It’s their best chance to pair Cooper Flagg with another young star, as they don’t own their first-round pick again until 2031 after this.
Hiring the right GM could help bring in more draft capital by bringing in bad contracts or flipping veterans into picks.
Dumont was able to convince Rick Welts, a Hall of Famer, to come out of retirement to be the CEO and lead the charge for a new arena. Maybe Dumont pulls another rabbit out of his hat for the GM.
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For a moment, it looked like FC Dallas was on its way to another statement win at home tonight.
Petar Musa scored two first half goals, to extend his Golden Boot leading tally to nine goals. But after Dallas grabbed control, the Galaxy found a way back before halftime with goals from Lucas Sanabria and Joseph Paintsil.
The second half brought more chances and more frustration for Dallas, which finished the night with 13 shots to LA’s nine. In the end, the point stretched Dallas’ unbeaten run to five games, though just like last week, it felt like another match where Dallas left points on the table.
Key Moments
7’ – GOAL! After a poor pass back by a LA defender, Petar Musa was free to go one-on-one with the LA goalkeeper. After a touch to get ahead of a defender, Musa slotted home his eighth goal of the season from outside the penalty box.
21’ – Offside! Joaquin Valiente sent a floating ball over the Galaxy defense, where Musa was able to get behind the defense and make an easy play for what appeared to be his second goal of the night. The play was called offside despite a fairly lengthy review period.
38’ – GOAL! This one counts! Musa gets his second of the night off a great ball from Chris Cappis. Logan Farrington picked off the ball in the midfield. He then played Cappis wide to the left of the penalty area. Cappis immediately played a ball back across the goal for Musa to slide in and finish for his ninth of the season.
43’ – Goal LA. Lucas Sanabria got the ball near the top of the penalty area. He took a couple of touches to get outside the penalty box before firing a shot that beat Michael Collodi at the near post.
45+4’ – Goal LA. Gabriel Pec got the ball near the top of the penalty area. He pulled the ball back a bit, which caught a pair of Dallas defenders. This allowed Joseph Painstil to get free behind the Dallas defense as Pec played him through inside the penalty area. Pec immediately smashed home a shot above Collodi to tie the game.
75’ – Another offside goal. This time on a corner kick for Dallas, after a scrum in the penalty box, Kaick hammered home what looked to be the go-ahead goal. But after a few seconds the flag was raised due to a deflection on Osaze Urhoghide, who was in an offside position.
Instant Reaction
Yeah, this is another disappointing result for this team. In a real way, it felt like the first half against Houston from last month. Dallas grabbed the lead, looked in control, but some defensive miscues opened the game up for the visitors to climb back.
With a double-game week coming up, this will certainly be another game where Dallas will wonder ‘what if’ more than anything else…especially when you factor in the two goals called off for offside.
About the Subs
Eric Quill went to his bench for the first time in the 66th minute, as he brought on Santiago Moreno for Logan Farrington. Quill went to his bench again 81st minute with Ran Binyamin and Nolan Norris coming on for Sebastien Ibeagha and Deedson. The final sub came during stoppage time with Herman Johansson and Joaquin Valiente coming off for Sam Sarver and rookie Nick Simmonds, who made his MLS debut.
Man of the Match
No question about it tonight, it has to be Musa.
Where does this fit into the season
As of this writing, the draw puts Dallas into a three-way tie for 5th place with Real Salt Lake and Seattle. Both are in action right now and look firmly in control of their games. I’d expect Dallas to be in 7th place by the end of the night.
What’s next for FC Dallas
Dallas wraps up a three-game homestand next Wednesday night as they host Minnesota United.
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