Game 3 was an unusual one from the Thunder perspective as they let a 10-point lead slip away in a 105-101 loss to Dallas. In particular, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggled a lot in the 4th quarter. The MVP finalist went just 1-for-6 from the field and scored 6 points total. He also turned the ball over 3 times and committed 3 fouls, which is not something we’re used to seeing from him. The good news is there are only two days in between games 3 & 4, so there won’t be much time to dwell over that loss. OKC has to come out with a sense or urgency here though, something that didn’t happen in Game 3 resulting in a 3-point deficit after the 1st quarter of play. OKC is still 9-4 ATS in the last 13 meetings, so there will be optimism ahead of Game 4.
The mid-season trades made for P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford are looking better by the day. Dallas got only 44 points from their dynamic duo of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic in Game 3 and still won. Washington stepped up with 27 points, including 5 threes, while Gafford provided quality minutes at the center position. The Mavs might have gotten away with one in Game 3, I find it hard to believe they can win another game with Doncic and Irving each scoring just 22 points in a game. Winning the rebounding aspect has been huge for this team, especially on the offensive glass where the Mavs are +12 in the last 2 games. The inexperience of Chet Holmgren is showing, Dallas would be smart to go at him on a consistent basis here.
