The Canadian betrays in the decisive possessions, the Mavs thank Kyrie and the former Charlotte and are now ahead 2-1 in the series. Lively also did well for coach Kidd
Riccardo Pratesi
12 May 2024 (change at 00:59) – MILAN
Dallas scares Oklahoma City. “We did the little things, the right ones, starting with the (great) defense.” The words of Kyrie Irving, who scores the decisive basket in the sprint, describe well the 105-101 success of the Mavs over the Thunder in Game 3, which is worth 2-1 for the Texans in the second round playoff series. Dallas imposes itself on its fans with energy and contagious positivity, thanks to great performances from perhaps unexpected protagonists such as PJ Washington and freshman center Derek Lively. Luka Doncic, not at his best physically, at times limping, this time does the dirty work, pulls down 15 rebounds, but it’s not one of the best days for Coach Kidd. Yet enough is enough. Because Irving, as usual, rises to the level in the second half, because the opponents stumble at the best moment in attack, bungling under pressure.
GROWING PAINS
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The Thunder, very young, pay for their inexperience. With unclear readings in the final point to point in which their main problem emerges: they don’t have a quality director. Giddey is up to no good, once again benched by Coach Daigneault with the game and season in the balance, as in Game 2, and so they don’t have a facilitator to trigger their offensive firepower, Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. The visiting coach also suffers from inexperience by forcing a systematic foul on Lively, counting on his poor free throw percentages, a dynamic that was a classic in the playoffs against Shaq O’Neal, dusted off for the occasion, but which turns out to be a boomerang . Lively makes 8/12 from the line, “his” of him and even more. Race 4 is still scheduled in Dallas from 3am in Italy between Monday and Tuesday. The pressure is now all on the Thunder after two knockouts in a row: they will have to demonstrate maturity, beyond the obvious ensemble talent.
THE MATCH
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Washington scores 11 points in the first 8 minutes of the game, on the emotional wave of the fabulous 29-point performance in Game 2. Dallas leads 26-23 after the first 12 minutes. Holmgren already with 3 blocks: he puts the cap on his basket. Jalen Williams’ triple gives the visitors the first lead at 34-31. The Texans dominate offensive rebounding, but shoot poorly from the perimeter. A last-second three-pointer by Isaiah Joe gives the Thunder the lead at halftime: 52-51. Gilgeous-Alexander with 17 points, Doncic 14, but shooting 4/11 from the field. A dunk by Jalen Williams makes it 65-55 for the guest, crowning an 11-0 run, but Giddey is the intruder of Coach Daigneault’s quintet: the Mavs “christen” him in attack and attack in defense and come back scoring in transition with Lively exhibiting athleticism and Washington playing the best basketball of his life. Dallas even goes up 71-65 with a 16-0 counterattack. 82-78 Dallas after 36′ thanks to Hardaway’s last-second triple. A dunk from Lively gives Mavs +9, Daigneault orders the systematic foul on him, but the freshman from the line gets away with everyone’s eyes on him. Gilgeous-Alexander at -3 misses the triple to equalize, Irving immediately after scores the basket of the match, then the Canadian also commits a breakthrough foul. Dallas wins the sprint and now leads the series against the No. 1 seed in the West. As a team, beyond the feats of Doncic and Irving
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2024-05-11 22:53:30
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