After squandering a 14-point lead to the top team in the Western Conference, the Mavericks had a chance to atone for their atrocious third-quarter performance.
Luka Doncic stepped to the free-throw line with 10.1 seconds left and a chance to tie the game. Fans at American Airlines Center chanted “MVP” during Doncic’s previous four trips to the stripe, but there was an unsettled mix of cheering and hesitancy to create any noise that would distract Dallas’ franchise player.
Doncic missed the first freebie, causing a loud groan from the crowd. Mavericks minority shareholder Mark Cuban, sitting in his usual baseline seat, sunk his head into his hands.
Doncic made the second free throw, but Oklahoma City held a one-possession lead. Dallas was forced to foul, which resulted in similar situation for the Thunder.
Chet Holmgren, a 22-year-old rookie, was immediately thrust into a high-pressure situation to make two free throws and give his team a three-point lead. The young Thunder center rose to the occasion and converted on both attempts, blocking out jeers from the sellout crowd of 20,607.
Several factors contributed to Dallas collapsing in the second half and suffering a 100-96 loss to even the Western Conference semifinal series at two games apiece, but none larger than the Mavericks’ self-inflicted mistakes at the free-throw line.
Dallas converted on 12-of-23 of its attempts from the stripe. Oklahoma City went the entire game and missed just one of its 24 attempts (95.8%).
“We just have to work on our free throws,” Doncic said after the game. “We shot 52%. That’s unacceptable.”
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) May 14, 2024
Making only half of your free throw shots isn’t ideal, especially in a playoff scenario that could’ve resulted in a commanding 3-1 lead. Dallas’ 52.2% mark Monday was its worst of the postseason, eclipsing a 64% performance in Game 3. Dallas also shot 68% from the line in Game 1. Its highest free-throw percentage of the series was in Game 2 (70%).
Every player who attempted a free throw missed at least once. The Mavericks’ starting frontcourt of Derrick Jones Jr., P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford all finished 2-of-4 from the stripe. Doncic missed two of his six attempts. Even Kyrie Irving, who shot 90% from the free-throw line this season, missed one of his two attempts.
“Just concentration and focus, man,” Irving said. “It’s all a psychological thing, just just taking your time and going up there and knocking ‘em down. We’ve shown it before, so we’ve just got to stay consistent on them.”
“We have to do better as a group,” said Mavs coach Jason Kidd. “We can’t shoot 50% if we want to win. We’ll talk about it tomorrow. We’ll get better and we’ll have an opportunity on Wednesday.”
![Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) reacts after a dunk past Dallas Mavericks...](https://dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/X4RJZE6UBBEXZMMNJU5PXNZKGM.jpg?auth=90e66b9851a85581c8e92e782d52b25df0baf79dbfd981b43a1cec86895e8450&height=934&quality=80)
Doncic entered the game shooting 78% from the free-throw line through the first nine games of the playoffs. He’s a career 74% shooter from the stripe.
“He’s a pro. They’re not machines,” Kidd said in Doncic’s defense. “You’re going to make some. You’re going to miss some. No one’s ever shot 100% from the free-throw line. It’s just about being able to simulate late game [scenarios]. ... Some guys in this league shoot a high percentage. Some guys shoot in the 70s. Some guys shoot in the 50s. That’s just the nature of their makeup. You just have to hope they make them at the right time.”
Kidd didn’t want to use fatigue as an excuse for why the Mavericks were spotty at the free-throw line. The Mavericks played exceptional defense in the first half, which resulted in a playoff franchise record in blocks Monday (13).
“It’s basketball, so I don’t know if that’s really a question,” Kidd said. “It’s part of the game. You have to step up and make free throws. [The Thunder] were 23-of-24 and we weren’t even close. It’s a part of the game. We just have to be better in that area.”
After Holmgren’s perfect trip to the free-throw line, Oklahoma City led by three and fouled P.J. Washington with three seconds left. The Mavericks had one final chance to create some magic if Washington made the first free throw and intentionally missed the second. The exact opposite happened as Washington missed the first and made the second.
“I tried to miss it and it’s just my luck that it goes in,” said Washington, who finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds. “Throughout the game, we gotta be better at the line.”
That luck will be tested once again when Dallas visits Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Wednesday.
P.J. Washington says he tried to miss the second free throw after the first bounced off the front rim, but that one went in. pic.twitter.com/bVQwuAOhio
— Jamie Hancock (@jamiedhancock) May 14, 2024