How Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder sent a message with Game 1 rout of Mavericks

Joel Lorenzi, The Oklahoman

In a blink, Jalen Williams’ jaw flew open, his arms bulged, his veins grew prominent. Then they vanished just as quickly.

There were too many layers to the play — a third quarter Lu Dort steal, Luka Doncic’s demand for a foul, Isaiah Joe’s recovery, Williams’ enormous dunk, capped by his brief display of emotion — and the next possession was happening too soon.

Williams had little time to bask in the moment then. To dwell on a sequence that, in a 117-95 win in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals Tuesday, felt like a blow to the temple. Sequences like those, and runs like the Thunder delivered in the second half can be erased by a game’s natural swings. Like the swing Dallas took to open the second half.

But Williams’ dunk, which put the Thunder up by seven, found its way to highlight immortality. Save for the pair of Doncic free throws that came the next possession — made null and void by another Thunder 3 — OKC never led by any less than five the rest of the way.

“It’s a muscle we’ve built at this point,” coach Mark Daigneault said. “We’ve had to endure a lot of those situations during the course of the season. I think a lot of it comes from respect for the opponent. We know this is a heavyweight matchup. … To think you’re gonna go through games or a series where they don’t land their punches, it’s unrealistic.”

OKC should be reminded whenever it takes the floor with Dallas that even a 30-point lead isn’t insurmountable. It played that way Tuesday, diving for loose balls and long rebounds even as its lead was at arms length.

Knowing the level of variance that can be granted or stripped at any moment, OKC stacked possessions as often as Daigneault runs the phrase into the ground.

After Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams combined for 17 first half free throw attempts, they combined for just two the rest of the half. After shooting just 5 for 16 from 3 in the first half, OKC continued to seek good looks. It was rewarded with the kind of runs the Mavericks just couldn’t answer.

After Dallas closed in on a one-point deficit, Daigneault replaced Josh Giddey with Isaiah Joe. Joe immediately nailed a 3 on a play designed for him. And so began the onslaught.

Dort connected on a set triple. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 29 points, delivered a painful stepback. There was Joe’s pair of 3s and the shot that got Chet Holmgren rolling.

OKC went 13 for 17 from deep in the second half before garbage time.

Williams went nearly three quarters without a pulse. Looks he knows and loves fell short. In a series that’ll likely count on his pullup jumpers and affinity for touch, Williams went mostly numb.

“On this stage, it’s easy to get carried away with makes and misses,” Williams said. “I think everything is a little more magnified because every possession feels super intense. So it’s easy to get down on yourself or not shoot anymore, be passive. … Just (gotta) kind of understand it’s basketball.”

His drought was fleeting, too. Forgotten with his fourth quarter rampage: 10 points, a perfect 4 for 4 from the field, and a pair of 3s that buried the Mavericks as part of a 15-2 run.

The kind of run Williams could soak up for a while.

Above the rim

So much for the height requirements. The way the Thunder had been critically measured all year before riding the rollercoaster, often deemed too small to ride.

Tuesday’s showing absolved it from all of it, even if just for a night.

Questions of size and strength were tossed out. Holmgren’s bird chest, perpetually bruised yet sturdy, held up even as Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford went back-to-back like the cover of Lethal Weapon. Jaylin Williams, who Daigneault previously noted isn’t a bruiser for hire, questioned Daigneault’s honesty.

The two combined for 16 of the Thunder’s 52 rebounds. OKC outrebounded Dallas by 13, a glaring discrepancy from the two teams’ regular season series.

The boards OKC’s two centers didn’t grab? They seemed magnetically drawn to the hands of its role players. Cason Wallace inhaled long rebounds. Aaron Wiggins saved possessions, tapping away loose balls. Dort threw himself toward the glass like Evel Knievel with a near 40-inch vertical.

Defensively, Holmgren held up his end of the bargain. He was asked to go ‘bow for ‘bow with Dallas’ frontcourt. Asked to meet an energized Kyrie Irving in drop coverage. Holmgren added three blocks, including a pivotal extension from Irving's most comfortable spot, and countless more contests.

But it was what occurred away from Holmgren, when the rookie center was out of a play, that effectively repelled the Mavs.

With Holmgren left to pick up a ball handler in drop coverage, he was forced to leave his post. Then OKC’s wings began to pick up the slack behind him. Giddey rotated as a low man. Aaron Wiggins forced improbable misses.

In the final 24 minutes, the Mavs shot just 5 of 18 on shots in the paint. For 48, the Thunder seemed just big enough to thrive.

More: Mussatto: How Aaron Wiggins, Thunder bench fueled Game 1 rout of Mavericks in NBA playoffs

OKC Thunder vs Dallas Mavericks playoff series schedule

  • Game 1: Thunder 117, Mavericks 95

  • Game 2: 8:30 p.m. Thursday in OKC (ESPN)

  • Game 3: 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Dallas (ABC)

  • Game 4: 8:30 p.m. Monday in Dallas (TNT)

  • Game 5 (if necessary): TBD Wednesday, May 15, in OKC (TNT)

  • Game 6 (if necessary): 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18, in Dallas (ESPN)

  • Game 7 (if necessary): 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 20, in OKC (TNT)

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder send message in rout vs Mavericks

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