OKC Thunder vs Dallas Mavericks Game Player Stats and Box Scores for May 18 | 2024 NBA Playoffs Game 6
After suffering a disappointing 104-92 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks, the OKC Thunder hope to bounce back with a road win in Game 6. Oklahoma, which looked like a juggernaut in the opening round versus the New Orleans Pelicans, has stuttered against the Mavericks’ defense. OKC will have to solve Dallas’ Big D to avoid going on vacation.
OKC Thunder vs Dallas Mavericks game player stats and box scores
OKC Thunder game player stats and box scores
Dallas Mavericks game player stats and box scores
OKC Thunder vs Dallas Mavericks Game Summary
The OKC Thunder's desperation to avoid an exit in the semifinals of the Western Conference playoffs showed early. Behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, they came out hot before settling for a 30-23 lead after the first 12 minutes.
The second quarter had the back-and-forth theme that had been prevalent in the series. The Dallas Mavericks' defense showed more intensity and focus to overcome a 38-27 deficit following "SGA's" floater. Luka Doncic's 26-footer moved them ahead, 42-40 with 4:54 to go.
Oklahoma refused to let Dallas pull away with put together a strong finishing kick to stun the rowdy home fans. Since the Mavericks briefly grabbed the lead, the Thunder unleashed a crippling 24-6 run to take a 64-48 advantage leading into the halftime break.
The OKC Thunder looked like they were turning Game 6 into a rout when Chet Holmgren's short jumper made it 77-60. The Dallas Mavericks, however, responded with a 13-0 blast to cut the lead to 77-73. Oklahoma tried to pull away again but again Dallas stubbornly came back behind Luka Doncic, Derrick Jones Jr. and Daniel Gafford to trail by just 90-83 entering the fourth quarter.
The Thunder and the Mavericks had a nip-and-tuck showdown for the entire 12-minute period. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 17-foot pull-up made it 105-101 with 4:44 remaining, forcing Dallas coach Jason Kidd to call for a timeout.
The Mavericks got back with a Dereck Lively II free throw and a 3-pointer from P.J. Washington who couldn't score a basket before. Doncic's step-back jumper over Lu Dort made it 107-105 for the hosts.
Jalen Williams and Kyrie Irving exchanged triples before "SGA" had another patented mid-range jumper to tie the game at 110. Washington continued his renaissance with another 3-pointer before Derrick Jones Jr. added a fall-away shot with the shot clock expiring. Dallas had a 115-110 lead with 1:05 to go.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just refused to give up and nailed a 24-footer that was followed by a P.J. Washington miss from deep. In the ensuing play for OKC, Washington was called for an away foul before the ball was inbounded. The infraction gave Oklahoma one free throw, which "SGA" made, and ball possession.
OKC's MVP finalist remained poised by handing out an alley-oop to Chet Holmgren to give the visitors a 116-115 lead. Jason Kidd didn't call a timeout and allowed Luka Doncic to orchestrate the final play. The Slovenian took his time and tried to bully Lu Dort before passing to P.J. Washington for a corner triple.
"SGA" was called for a foul on Washington, a decision that was challenged by Oklahoma but lost. The Mavs forward went to the charity stripe with 2.1 seconds remaining and the game in the balance. He hit the first two before intentionally missing the second. Chet Holmgren grabbed the rebound before giving it to Jalen Williams for a desperate 3-pointer that did not hit anything.
The Dallas Mavericks survived Game 6 117-116 to knock out the OKC Thunder, the top seed in the West. Luka Doncic and Co. will wait for the winner of the Timberwolves-Nuggets series in the conference finals.
Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams 3-pointers tonight
Kyrie Irving took one shot from deep and missed it while Luka Doncic went 3-for-4 from the same range in the first half.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had an efficient 2-for-3 clip while Jalen Williams hit 1-for-2 from a similar distance in the first 24 minutes of the game.
"Uncle Drew" came alive in the second half dropping four 3-pointers out of 10 attempts. "Luka Legend" wasn't as aggressive and ended the night with a 4-for-6 line from the same range.
"SGA" hit 4-for-5 from behind the arc, the last of which pushed the OKC Thunder to within 115-113 against the Dallas Mavericks. "J-Dub" sunk three out of five shots from that distance as well.