Rapid Fire: Mavs fall as Thunder take a commanding 3-1 series lead

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DALLAS, TX–The Dallas Mavericks now find themselves with their backs against the wall, after falling 119-108 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4 of the First Round of the 2016 NBA Playoffs. The Thunder now have a commanding 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven game series against the Mavs.

 

Minutes before the game, the Mavs got word that point guard Deron Williams (sports hernia) would play and start after missing Game 3. Then, just 89 seconds into the game, Williams aggravated his strained abdomen while attempting to save a pass from going out of bounds, leaving guards J.J. Barea and Devin Harris to help fill the void at point guard.

 

Head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters after the game he thinks Williams is done for the year.

 

In the first quarter, after the score was tied at 13, the Thunder went on a 20-5 run to close the period led behind seven points from Thunder guard Dion Waiters. The Thunder never trailed after that, taking a 33-18 lead into the second quarter. Waiters finished the game with 12 points in 27 minutes.

 

Early in the second quarter, a skirmish ensued after Thunder guard Anthony Morrow denied Mavs center Salah Mejri the ball while sitting on the bench after it was hit out of bounces. Barea got into it with Morrow and then Russell Westbrook shoved Mejri. The altercation led to a delay of game penalty for the Thunder and somehow Morrow wasn’t even penalized, but both Mejri and Westbrook were assessed double technical.

How the skirmish started: Anthony Morrow wouldn't give Salah Mejri the ball back then threw it to the ref. pic.twitter.com/7nsiw0oXvc

— Erik Horne (@ErikHorneOK) April 24, 2016

“I don’t back down from s—,” Mavs guard Wesley Matthews said of the physicality of the series.

 

Following the scuffle, an inspired Mejri blocked two shots in consecutive possessions that led to some five momentum building points for Dallas. Mavs rookie guard Justin Anderson played a huge role in the first half, bringing high energy and effort while contributing nine points in 11 minutes, but he again failed get extended minutes from Mavs head coach Carlisle. Anderson finished the game with 10 points.

 

The Dallas Mavericks trailed 57-48 at the half.

 

All night, the Mavs struggled to keep the game’s pace down, a strategy that worked in their favor in their Game 2 victory. Instead, the Thunder kept the pace and energy high, using 11 Mavs’ turnovers to score to 19 points.

 

They Mavs continued to grind out each and every possession, coming within as much as seven points in the third quarter, down just 10 points headed into the final period.

 

As the night went along, the news continued to get worse for the Mavs. Mejri asked to be subbed out and he limped to the Mavs locker room with just under seven minutes to go. He never returned after being diagnosed with a right hip injury. Carlisle said he was questionable at best for Game 5.

 

The Mavs continued to fight and claw their way back into the game, coming within as much as nine points late with 3:35 to play, but they just couldn’t find enough answers to stop Thunder guard Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

 

Kevin Durant finished 19 points, while Westbrook had 25 points and 15 assists. Sixth man of the year candidate Ernes Kanter added 28 points for OKC, destroying the Mavs bigs in the  paint.

 

37 year-old Dirk Nowitzki continued to carry the Mavs, but didn’t get quite the support he needed tonight from his injury-riddled supporting cast. He finished the game with a team-high 27 points while adding 8 rebounds, playing a team-high 40 minutes.
“Just fighting till the end,” Nowitzki said. “Fighting till it’s over. We were always thinking make one more push, make one more push.”

 

The Mavs ultimately fell despite playing a competitive game, and are now faced with a must-win game situation on Monday for Game 5.

 

“We’re a fighting franchise,” Carlisle told reports after the game. “And we’re gonna fight to the end.”

 

Game 5: The Mavericks will now travel to Oklahoma City for a Monday night match up with the Thunder. The game can be seen locally on TXA 21 and nationally on TNT.