OKLAHOMA CITY — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned he spent “all day” excited about his Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder’s playoff elimination by the hands of the Mavericks final spring after which singlehandedly outscored Dallas’ star duo Tuesday evening.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s 39-point outing within the Thunder’s 118-104 win over the Mavericks in an NBA Cup quarterfinal — punching the Thunder’s ticket to Las Vegas, the place they are going to face Wednesday’s Golden State-Houston winner in a semifinal on Saturday — was the form of efficiency that may gasoline an MVP marketing campaign.
However Gilgeous-Alexander gave credit score to a few his teammates — Luguentz Dort and Cason Wallace — for him exceeding the mixed level complete of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. They had been the first defenders on the Mavericks’ stars, who completed with 33 factors.
“Hell of a job by Lu and Cason,” Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned. “It is extra spectacular to carry them that low than it’s for me to get 39 factors. I feel to carry these two that low actually gave us an opportunity to win the sport. We felt like we had management of the sport due to that. Holding these two in test like that may be very uncommon.”
It was the bottom mixed complete by Doncic and Irving throughout a regular-season recreation they’ve performed collectively as teammates, in response to ESPN Analysis.
Doncic, who has repeatedly referred to Dort as one of many league’s high three perimeter defenders, was held to 16 factors on 5-of-15 taking pictures and had extra turnovers (six) than assists (5). All however two of his 15 shot makes an attempt had been closely contested, a price of 87% that was the very best in any of Doncic’s video games this season, in response to Second Spectrum monitoring.
“It is for a purpose they’re the No. 1 defensive staff within the league,” Doncic mentioned. “They’ve nice defensive gamers. They determined to double me each time, so give credit score to them. I imply they performed actually, actually, actually good protection at this time.”
Based on Second Spectrum, the Thunder blitzed Doncic on 13 of the 27 ball screens that he used. That 48% blitz price is the very best confronted by any participant who used no less than 20 ball screens this season.
Irving was restricted to 17 factors on 7-of-14 taking pictures from the sector. Irving, like Doncic, had solely eight factors getting into the fourth quarter, when the Mavericks trailed by 17.
Oklahoma Metropolis compelled 19 Dallas turnovers and transformed them into 36 factors. The Thunder had 14 steals, together with a team-high-tying three by Gilgeous-Alexander.
“They do a fantastic job of funneling you into conditions on the court docket after which they need the basketball to search out different guys in your staff,” Irving mentioned. “While you’re compelled to do this each single possession, that is what makes it profitable. Extra instances [than not] they restrict us from getting nice high quality appears — whether or not or not it’s me and Luka — they usually need it to search out different individuals. That is the NBA recreation. Now you need to get the ball out of the very best ball handler’s fingers or the very best scorer’s hand and let everyone else resolve.”
The Thunder executed an analogous technique throughout final season’s Western Convention semifinals collection, holding Doncic and Irving to a mixed 40.2 factors per recreation, far beneath their common. The Mavericks’ position gamers made the Thunder pay, significantly ahead P.J. Washington, who averaged 17.7 factors and shot 46.9% from 3-point vary within the collection.
Washington, who had 27 factors and 17 rebounds within the Mavericks’ street win over the Thunder earlier this season, didn’t play Tuesday due to sickness.
After the Mavericks opened the sport with an 8-0 run, Gilgeous-Alexander seized management, scoring 16 factors within the first quarter. The Thunder took the lead with 2:32 left within the first quarter and by no means relinquished it.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored one other 16 factors within the third quarter when the Thunder pushed the result in double digits.
“Simply plenty of instances, it is arduous to cease him,” Doncic mentioned. “I feel sooner or later, you have to ship two, three gamers [at Gilgeous-Alexander]. It is superb enjoying in opposition to a man like this, simply the battles. It is enjoyable, and he is an incredible participant.”
Gilgeous-Alexander, who additionally had eight rebounds and 5 assists, completed 15-of-23 from the sector. That included 5-of-9 from 3-point vary, a aspect of the sport he labored on growing in the course of the offseason.
“Shai’s been cooking defenses all yr, you recognize what I imply?” Irving mentioned. “Nothing new. You’ll be able to inform he is added that 3-point shot to his recreation, that step-back, which supplies him one other risk on the market for his recreation that he has now. So once more, these younger guys, that is going to show into a kind of groups that we will see — similar to Memphis — the place down the stretch down into the season, we will be competing with them.”
The Thunder, the youngest No. 1 seed in NBA historical past final season, entered this season thought of the favourite to win the convention after buying coveted position gamers Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso. Oklahoma Metropolis heads to Las Vegas atop the West standings with a 19-5 file.
However the Mavericks stay the reigning Western Convention champions, a reality that gives motivational gasoline for Gilgeous-Alexander.
“They got here out [of] the West final yr,” Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned. “I suppose which means they’re the very best Western staff. Everyone knows how powerful the West is, and I respect them. I used that chance to get higher. I used that chance to see if I obtained higher and actually measure myself in opposition to the very best.”