OKLAHOMA CITY – The Mavericks picked a dreadful time to throw out one of their worst halves of the season.
With a trip to Las Vegas for the semifinals on the line, the Mavericks could not have been flatter in a disastrous third quarter and went on to lose 118-104 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2024 NBA Cup Nights quarterfinals at Paycom Center.
Luka Dončić struggled mightily against the OKC defense that is ranked No. 1 in the NBA in pretty much every notable defensiv
e category. The Thunder made life miserable for Dončić, who had just two points until he got things percolating late in the third quarter.
By then, the Mavericks were down 90-73 and faced a difficult and ultimately insurmountable task in the final 12 minutes.
They suffered 19 turnovers that led to 36 Oklahoma City points. That, combined with a 28-17 rebounding deficit in the second half, doomed the Mavericks.
“Our energy level was low for whatever reason,” coach Jason Kidd said of the third quarter, which started with a 10-2 Oklahoma City surge. “And they came out and hit us. They took full advantage after halftime. Guys kept fighting, we just couldn’t get over the hump.”
The Mavericks couldn’t put a muzzle on the Thunder, who shot 53 percent after halftime and were 20-of-50 (40 percent) for the game from three-point land.
“They just came out with more energy,” said Naji Marshall, who returned from a four-game absence with an illness to score team-high-tying 19 points. “They wanted it more and that’s on us. I’m looking forward to the next game to be better and bring energy, like we have been the last 12 games or so.”
And then there were the turnovers, which have been a periodic problem in the first chunk of the season.
“They are the best defensive team in the league and No. 1 in deflections, steals,” Kidd said. “And they did what they had to do and we didn’t take care of the ball. That put us in a bad situation. It’s something we as a team have to address because it’s something that’s been happening for the last couple weeks – high turnover games, which we normally haven’t (had.)
“We’ve been lucky enough to find ways to win with high turnovers, but tonight it got us.”
Dončić had six of the Mavericks’ turnovers and finished with 16 points on 5-of-15 shooting. The 15 shots were the fewest he’s taken in any game this season.
And when the Thunder forced him to throw the ball to teammates, they were often there to intercept.
“Just sloppy passes from me,” he said. “I just got to take care of the ball. I can’t have six turnovers. It’s unacceptable.”
Kyrie Irving tried to light a fuse for the Mavericks with a couple of three-pointers that got them within 97-87 with 8:55 still left.
But Cason Wallace, the guard that the Mavericks drafted in 2023, then traded to the Thunder for the rights to Dereck Lively II and O-Max Prosper, hit a three-pointer and a dunk that highlighted a run to put the Thunder up 111-92 with 5 minutes left. They would get no closer than nine the rest of the way.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a monster game for the Thunder with 39 points.
And the Mavericks’ seven-game winning streak was snapped. But they still have won 11 of their past 13 games. That said, they have barely gained any ground on the Western Conference front-running Thunder, who have gone 11-3 in their last 14 games.
Oklahoma City’s win pushes them to the semifinals of the 2024 NBA Cup Nights Saturday at Las Vegas. The Thunder will play the winner of Wednesday’s Golden State-Houston matchup.
For the Mavericks, they now will have a game added to their schedule against the loser of that Warriors-Rockets meeting in Houston. That game will be on Sunday and either be at Golden State or at home against Houston.
By playing on the road in the quarterfinals against the Thunder, the Mavericks have been on the road for 12 of their last 16 games, a number that could grow if they must visit Golden State on Sunday.
“We don’t want to put anything more on it that we get out of character. We want to continue to keep playing well. Seems like we’ve been on the road the whole season. So another road test.
Tuesday made 12 of the last 16 on the road for the Mavs.
And they haven’t been in Dallas for more than one game since an early November five-game home stand.
Perhaps more importantly than the Cup was the fact that these teams are in the top three in the Western Conference. They faced off in the second round of the playoffs last season and it would surprise nobody if they met again sometime in this year’s postseason.
So the level of play was high. Neither side led by more than eight points in the first half, in which Dončić missed six of seven shots and had just two points, although he also had six rebounds and five assists.
Given that, it was a blessing for the Mavericks to only be down 57-54 at the end of the first half.
The Mavericks played without P.J. Washington, who was sidelined with an illness, as was Maxi Kleber. That cut down on their front-court depth. The Thunder were without center Chet Holmgren, out until at least February with a hip injury.
The Mavericks dropped to 1-5 in games Washington has missed this season.
X: @ESefko
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