Just when it looked like the Mavericks were going to fall victim to the home-court hex that seems to be going viral around the NBA playoffs, they dug deep as if their playoff life depended on it.
And it might have.
Oklahoma City played a leave-it-all-out-there playoff game on Saturday afternoon, but the Mavericks were no less determined and persevered down the stretch for an exhausting 105-101 victory at American Airlines Center.
And we mean exhausting for the fans who had to withstand a slew of ups and downs in the hard-fought game that landed them a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals.
It was even more sapping for the players, who seemed to know the importance of this game.
Teams that win Game 3 of a tied series go on to take a best-of-seven series nearly 74 percent of the time (196-69). And the Mavericks were part of the equation in the first round this season when they (along with Boston and Indiana) helped teams go 3-0 when they picked off Game 3 in a 1-1 series.
And if there was any doubts about the Mavericks’ ability to hit the curve ball in terms of playing a physical style, they have been erased.
“Since March, we’ve enjoyed the physical play and we’re built to be a physical team,” coach Jason Kidd said. “If it’s going to be called tighter in Game 4, then we have to just make that adjustment. But I thought the guys endured the physical play.
“If it’s going to be physical, we’re up for it. Maybe in the past, we weren’t but this is a different team. This team is built to be physical. If we have to pivot and be finesse, we can do that, too.”
The game was particularly rugged for Luka Dončić, who would finish 22 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. But he spent a lot of time sprawled on the floor. Which was fine with him, by the way, since the outcome was what he wanted.
And with the other Western Conference semifinal between Minnesota and Denver standing at 2-1 in the Timberwolves’ favor, the Mavericks have every reason to feel like a trip to the NBA finals is within reach.
“Yeah, you’re here, you got to believe and I believe we can,” Dončić said. “But it’s going to be hard. We didn’t do nothing yet. We won two games and we need to win four. So we didn’t do anything yet. We just have to keep going.”
The Mavericks were locked in a tough struggle all game. Apart from a couple of streaks by each team in the third quarter, there had been no major momentum grabs.
It boiled down to a test of wills.
When Kyrie Irving (22 points, seven assists) got rolling in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks went up 92-83. But the Thunder refused to go away. They clawed back within 95-92 and when Dončić missed the second of two free throws, the Thunder were in striking range with under four minutes left.
But Dereck Lively II, who the Thunder had resorted to fouling intentionally earlier, made two free throws after a missed OKC three-pointer and it was 98-92 with 3:27 to go.
The Thunder got it back within 102-99 but had several empty possessions thanks to a focused Mavericks’ defensive effort. When Irving went to work on an isolation and got loose for a pullup jumper, the Mavericks went up 104-99 with 39.3 seconds left. And, again, the Thunder botched an offensive chance when the Mavericks’ defense collapsed in the paint to seal the game.
Lively hit 8-of-12 free throws as the Thunder tested the rookie’s coolness in a tense situation.
“I thought he did a great job,” Kidd said. “I thought Kai did a great job of telling him on the bench: don’t run. Just take the foul and let’s go make the free throws. I think that helped with being comfortable.
“It’s great as a rookie to be able to step up and make the free throws. But I thought what was even better if he didn’t make it, we were able to rely on each other on the defensive end to get stops. No matter what happened at the free-throw line, the guys were in a great place on the defensive end.”
P.J. Washington, for the second game in a row, was the offensive weapon of choice for the Mavericks as he rolled up a team-best 27 points. He was 5-of-12 from three-point range.
“They’ve been leaving me in the corner, so I just try to take my time and knock them down,” Washington said. “It’s open shots, so just take them with confidence. That’s all I’m doing, honestly.”
And as for the rough-and-tumble nature of the game?
“It’s a physical game. We’re playing for everything,” Washington said. “Everybody’s trying their hardest.”
Game 4 is Monday at AAC at 8:30 p.m. But the home court is losing its luster in the playoffs. Even with the Mavericks’ win Saturday afternoon, that only brought the home team’s record to 6-6 in the second round of the playoffs after Boston won at Cleveland Saturday night.
The Mavericks and Thunder had exchanged body blows in the third quarter when the OKC ran off 11 consecutive points to go up 65-55. The Mavericks countered with 16 unanswered points for a 71-65 advantage.
By the time the fourth quarter started, the Mavs’ advantage was 82-78 and it was on to “winnin’ time.”
The Mavericks had gotten a split of games in Oklahoma City, but the Thunder were of the opinion that Game 2 was a function of the Mavericks having one of those silver-bullet games that included getting extraordinarily hot from three-point range.
As coach Mark Daigneault said pregame: “We punched in Game 1 and they punched back. That’s what these series are. I thought they played very well. We weren’t quite as sharp as we have been. But we didn’t lay an egg the other night. They were just better.”
And so, it was time for the Thunder to respond in what was nothing short of a swing game in the series.
They did so, but the Mavericks handled every blow they got. And there were blows.
“Oh yeah,” Irving said. “What you’re seeing out there, we’re definitely feeling it. But that’s what makes all of this mean a lot more because you’re sacrificing a lot more of that time you’d spend with family or friends in recovery and resting and trying to get ready mentally, spiritually, emotionally, physically for a beating.”
X: @ESefko
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