Oklahoma City Thunder Needs More From Secondary Scorers

The Dallas Mavericks protected home court on Saturday night, erasing a third quarter deficit and knocking off the Thunder 105-101.

Kyrie Irving took over the fourth quarter, but his final stat line wasn’t absurd. Luka Doncic had another quiet night offensively for his standards and Oklahoma City was able to hold the two stars in check to an extent. The story of the Western Conference Semifinals has clearly been PJ Washington — something nobody saw coming.

Over the last two games, PJ Washington has totaled 56 points and drilled 12 total 3-pointers. In game two, he took advantage of wide open triples. In game three, though, he flat out dominated the Thunder. Drives to the basket, contested triples, and solid defense. He has been Dallas’ hero through the early portion of the series and is a big reason why his team has a lead.

In the Thunder’s crucial game three loss, both Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams failed to eclipse over 16 points. Both rising stars have experienced a drop off during the series against the Mavericks. Williams scored 21 points or more in the last three games against the Pelicans and has failed to do so once against Dallas. In the Thunder’s two losses against Dallas, Holmgren has averaged 12 points on 42.8% shooting and 12.5% from 3-point range.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has looked like the best player on the court throughout most of the series. He has eclipsed 29 points in all three games and is averaging 31 points per game throughout the series. His rebounding prowess has been impressive and he has hit big shots down the stretch. Now he needs someone else to step up and help out.

During the fourth quarter of Oklahoma City’s game three loss, it felt like the entire team was scared to play aggressive offense outside of SGA. Nobody wanted to take the shot and the offense completely stalled. It looked nothing like the Thunder team we’ve watched all season long.

For Oklahoma City to claw its way back into the series and find a way to tie it up, Williams and Holmgren will have to step up — specifically on the offensive end. Big performances would push the Thunder to the next level, as it did all season long. The series is far from over, but Gilgeous-Alexander will need help to get things back on track.

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