The Dallas Mavericks blew a 14-point lead in their Game 4 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Mavs blew a golden opportunity to go up 3-1 after blowing a 14-point lead during the game. Luka Doncic reacted to the loss and is looking ahead to Game 5, confident in the group’s ability to win another road game.
“No concerns. Just got to be ready. We’ve got to play hard like we did tonight, I think we played hard. Big energy today. But like I said, some details cost us the game. We just got to be ready again. Obviously, it’s going to be hard on the road but we’ve done it before and we’ll do it again.”
"We've done it before, we can do it again."
Luka Doncic on the Mavs heading back on the road needing at least 1 win 🗣
(via @NBATV)pic.twitter.com/8d8yoOim5A
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 14, 2024
Doncic had one of the worst playoff performances of his career on the night. He had 17 points on 6-20 shooting with seven turnovers. He did grab 12 rebounds and drop 10 assists, but his offensive play was atrocious. He held up well defensively but when the Mavs needed him to tie the game up late from the free throw line, he failed to answer the call on a bad night.
Kyrie Irving also went missing in action, putting up nine points while attempting just 11 shots. This low volume in the postseason should be unacceptable, especially when it’s clear Luka can’t get his scoring going. The pair played solid defense and terrible offense, doing a complete 180 on their reputation as a backcourt.
Doncic is correct, as the Mavericks did beat the Thunder at home in Game 2 and won two road games against the Clippers in the first round. Most of Doncic’s signature playoff performances have come on the road, so the Mavs will be hopeful that magic shows up for Game 5.
The Thunder Are A Deserving No. 1 Seed
Early in this game, it looked like the Thunder would live up to all the negative conceptions that people held about the squad. They looked young, inexperienced, and shaken at the intensity the Mavs started the game with. As the Dallas offense sputtered, the Thunder found a way to play through the physicality and keep the game close.
The fourth quarter saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander take over, ending the night with 34 points. He hit multiple clutch mid-range shots to help the Thunder whittle down their 14-point deficit before icing the game at the line in the final 5 seconds of the fourth quarter. He’s averaging 29.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in the playoffs, proving to the world that he can replicate his regular season success in the Playoffs.
The Mavs will feel terrible about blowing this game when they look to be in control of it. Hopefully, they can come out swinging in Game 5 because a 2-3 deficit might be impossible for Dallas to overcome with Doncic in the poor physical state he’s in with his ankle and knee injuries.
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