On paper, coming into this Western Conference semifinals series, Oklahoma City center Chet Holmgren had a distinct advantage
over the Dallas Mavericks’ two-headed center combination of Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II.
After all, Holmgren is the Thunder’s glorified first-year player who would have been the easy choice to win this season’s Rookie of the Year award if not for some phenom over in San Antonio named Victor Wembanyama. That’s the type of skill-set Holmgren has and how special he has become in such a short period of time.
However, Gafford and Lively have more than held their own against Holmgren in the first three games of this best-of-seven series, which the Mavs lead, 2-1.
Holmgren averaged 16.5 points and 7.9 rebounds during the regular season, and shot a healthy 53 percent from the field, including 37 percent from beyond the three-point line. Thus far in this series against the Mavs, Holmgren is averaging 14.3 points and seven rebounds, and has converted only 45.9 percent of his field goals (17-of-37) and just 23.1 percent of his three-pointers (3-of-13).
So, how have the Mavs’ defense been so effective at making things difficult for one of the Thunder’s best all-around players?
“(We’re) making him take the shots that we want (him) to take and making sure we pay attention to details,” Gafford said on Sunday. “We’re just trying to give him different looks.
“There’s going to be times where I’m guarding him, there’s going to be times where most of the guys that are out there on the floor are guarding him like (Derrick) Jones (Jr.), P.J. (Washington). It’s just throwing different looks at him and giving him different ways to try to get around guys to get to the basket, and really just playing some good defense. Being there for each other, communicating defensively and having each other’s backs.”
The Mavs hope to continue being there for each other to keep Holmgren guessing when they host Game 4 on Monday at 8:30 p.m. at American Airlines Center.
Coach Jason Kidd wants his players to keep playing physical and hopefully make Holmgren start second-guessing things out on the floor.
“I think they’re just making it tough, making him get to his second or third move,” Kidd said. “(We’re) contesting the three and
trying to keep him in front.
“Chet’s a really good player who can play inside and out. We’re running multiple bodies at him.”
While the Mavs are making it difficult on Holmgren, from a defensive standpoint he’s also made it tough for them. After averaging 2.3 blocks per game during the regular season, Holmgren is averaging three blocks in this series, and that includes the four blocks he picked up during the Mavs’ gritty 105-101 victory on Saturday.
The Mavs are grapplin
g with ways to maneuver past Holmgren when they’re hoisting up shots around the basket. He stands 7-1 and has a wicked wingspan.
“(He has the) ability to alter shots, being around the basket and being good at what he does defensively,” Gafford said. “You’ve got to be smart going up against a guy like him because he’s coming to block everything.
“He’s going to be right there no matter how high you jump, no matter how high you throw it around the basket, unless you’re one of the guards that are just throwing it up in the air – like one of those little floaters. If you’re not going in trying to dunk the ball, you’ve got to find out some type of way to try to be crafty to get around him, which is what makes him elite at his position.”
Here are some other nuggets surrounding Game 4 between the Mavs and Thunder.
*The Mavs have an excellent chance to take total control of this series with a win at home on Monday. But home court ensures nothing. “We know it’s not going to be easy,” coach Jason Kidd said. “Oklahoma City is a great team. Well-coached. They’re the best team in the Western Conference and one of the best teams in the league. For us it’s not about (going up) 3-1. It’s about just taking each possession and trying to win one possession at a time. We understand everyone’s keeping count, but we’re just focused on the possession at hand and just trying to win that.” Teams that lead a best-of-seven series, 3-1, have won that series 95.4 percent of the time. That 272-13 record includes the 4-0 record that occurred in the first round of this year’s playoffs when teams held a 3-1 lead in their respective series.
*With a 65-55 lead at the 8:33 mark of the third quarter, the Thunder thought they had seized control of Game 3. Then, in a matter of minutes, the Mavs went on a thundering 16-0 run and zoomed ahead, 71-65, with 4:30 
remaining in the third quarter. “We got a little sloppy offensively with our execution, we turned it over a couple times, they got hot, they made shots and converted, so credit them,” OKC coach Mark Daignault said. “That was probably the missed opportunity of the game for us. We were up by 10 and had a pretty good grip on it and just didn’t stack enough quality possessions in that part of the game to either extend the lead or hold the lead. We’re not playing quite to the level I think we are capable of right now, which is disappointing in an individual game, but it’s also an opportunity that we have some capacity there.”
*The Mavs will again be without Maxi Kleber (right shoulder AC joint separation) and Olivier-Maxence Prosper (left ankle sprain), while Luka Dončić is listed as questionable with a right knee sprain and soreness in his left ankle. Dončić has been playing despite battling through injuries. “I think you’re seeing his toughness displayed since the playoffs have started with injury, without injury, with physicality of the way things are being officiated,” coach Jason Kidd said. “His leadership is being tested. But I think you can also see the maturity and the a
bility to lead us to victory on both sides of the ball – offensively and defensively.”
*Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the leading scorer in this series with 31 ppg while shooting 47 percent from the field (31-of-66) and 50 percent from three-point land (5-of-10). The runner-up to Denver’s Nikola Jokic for this year’s Most Valuable Player award, Gilgeous-Alexander believes OKC has left a lot of points on the court in this series. “I think we can be sharper on both ends of the floor, in terms of 50-50 balls and communication,” he said. “I think we’re trying to do the right thing. I just think that execution and focus is where we can really take a step.”
*Mavs center Daniel Gafford left Game 2 after banging his right hand on the backboard while attempting to block a shot. And he left Game 3 after he collided with Thunder guard Josh Giddy. In both instances, Gafford was able to eventually return to the game. “(Saturday) night I got a bit of a stinger kind of shot a little bit around the shoulder,” Gafford said. (It’s) something that I’ve dealt with. I would 
say the majority throughout the season there’s been a decent amount of people that have ran into both of my shoulders. It’s pretty much like an ankle sprain to me. I just walk it off. I’m a bit of a tough cookie when it comes to most of the injuries that I’ve kind of been through. It’s not the worst I would say, but most definitely the majority of the stuff that happens to me I can maintain.”
*For the Mavs, Luka Dončić frequently sets the table with his scoring in the first quarter, and Kyrie Irving frequently acts as the closer with his scoring in the fourth quarter. Irving went four-for-four from the field and tallied eight points in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s victory over the Thunder. Irving often puts defenders in a spin cycle with the dazzling dribbling skills, which are fascinating even for his teammates to see. “It’s like watching a movie,” center Daniel Gafford said. “I always tell people I’m used to seeing this stuff on TV. I’m always in a position to where I’m seeing a great play after a great play in the fourth quarter, especially when he really gets going.”
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (1-2) at DALLAS MAVERICKS (2-1)
When: 8:30 p.m., Monday
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas
TV: TNT
Radio: KEGL 97.1 FM The Eagle; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)
X: @DwainPrice
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