Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn't get much offensive help from his teammates Monday night.
He didn't need it.
The Thunder All-Star led Oklahoma City to a 100-96 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, rallying from a 14-point first-half deficit. With the win, the Thunder tied the Western Conference semifinals 2-2 and avoided falling back to Oklahoma City, who were on the verge of elimination.
In a rough game for both teams, Gilgeous-Alexander took center stage with 34 points. He led the Thunder from a 22-8 deficit in the first quarter to a 9-0 run in the fourth to give the Thunder an 89-86 lead. Oklahoma City never followed again.
Thunder rally, Doncic misses FT and secures OKC victory
The Thunder struggled for much of the night against a stifling Dallas defense that repeatedly challenged Oklahoma City's offense in the paint. But while All-Stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving struggled in the Mavericks' offense, Gilgeous-Alexander thrived.
Doncic had a chance to tie it near the free-throw line in the final seconds. But with 10.1 seconds left and Dallas leading 96-94, he missed the top of two shots. Gilgeous-Alexander made two free throws with 1.4 seconds left to stop the game and secure the four-point victory.
Leaving Dallas early
Dallas took control from the start thanks to P.J. Washington's performance and dominant play in the paint. The Mavericks led 30-20 at the end of the first quarter and 54-43 at halftime. They did a lot of the early work on the boards with a 13-5 rebounding edge in the first quarter and a 22-17 advantage at halftime. He had nine blocks by halftime while holding the Thunder to 34.9 percent from the field. Oklahoma City made just 1 of 11 3-pointers in the first half.
Thunder change pace after halftime
The Thunder responded in kind, squeezing Dallas' offense in the third quarter and limiting the Mavericks to 15 points in the stanza. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 12 points in the quarter and the Thunder went on a 22-12 run to close the gap to 69-65 by the start of the fourth set.
Dallas held the lead through most of the fourth quarter until Gilgeous-Alexander took control of the game in the final six minutes. He scored eight straight Thunder points while hitting a number of contested shots to pull the Thunder back into the game.
His baseline teardrop floater beat Tim Hardaway Jr. and Washington, tying the game at 86-86.
Chet Holmgren's 3-pointer off assists from Gilgeous and Alexander sparked a 9-0 run that gave the Thunder their first lead since 4-2 in the first quarter at 89-86. they didn't give it up.
By the end of the game, Oklahoma City had overcome its early rebounding deficit and had a 47-45 lead. The Thunder made 6 of 16 threes after halftime after making singles in the first half.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 34 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals on 14-of-27 shooting from the field. He missed his only 3-point shot. Holmgren added 18 points, nine rebounds and four blocks, making 6 of 9 from the field. Jaylen Williams (5 of 19), Josh Guidi (2 of 8) and Luguentz Dort (4 of 14) all struggled from the field as Oklahoma City overcame a 38% shooting night. He achieved victory.
Poor shooting from the line is Dallas' downfall.
Dallas wasn't great from the field on the night, shooting 40.9%. But mistakes at the free-throw line cost them dearly in the second half. The Mavericks were 12-of-23 (52%) from the stripe on the night and missed five free throws in the fourth quarter.
Despite Doncic's late mistakes, he was the only one of the Mavericks' six players to make free throws and shoot over 50 percent from the stripe, going 4-of-6. He had a triple-double with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. But his shooting slump that continued throughout the postseason (41% through Monday) struck again as he went 6-of-20 from the field.
Irving finished with nine points and nine assists on 4-of-11 field goals while giving up shots to his teammates. Washington led the Mavericks in scoring for the third straight game, finishing with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 of 11 3-pointers. Unlike Games 2 and 3, his scoring performance did not lead to a victory.
The series returns to Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Wednesday night.
