After sweeping the Zion Williamson-lessΒ PelicansΒ with relative ease, the Thunder knew they would get a much tougher challenge against the battle-tested Mavericks, and when Kyrie Irving nailed a third-quarter 3-pointer to draw within one, that very much looked the case. But after a timeout, the hosts finished the quarter with a 3-point barrage to restore the lead to 10 and never let up from there.
Everyone contributed, but the biggest star led the way: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 29 points and barely missed a triple-double.Β Chet Holmgren added 19 points, and Jalen Williams scored 18, 10 of which came in a mesmerizing one-minute, 36-second span early in the fourth quarter that put things away.
Oklahoma City’s bench outscored Dallas’ 42-23.
The Thunder defense flexed its muscle, forcing 16 turnovers. Perhaps most impressively, it heldΒ Luka Doncic to just 19 points, snapping his streak of 24 straight playoff games with at least 20 points.
Dallas was coming off an absolute battle of a series against the ClippersΒ and has lost its past five Game 1s. It won’t panic. I still expect a really good series.
I can’t say the same aboutΒ Celtics-Cavaliers, especially after Boston pummeled Cleveland 120-95 in Game 1.Β Jaylen Brown‘s 32 points led the way, but it was its second-leading scorer who not only shows the big difference in these teams but shows why Boston is the title favorite, Sam Quinn writes.
Quinn:Β “Derrick White is making a championship leap —Β If Boston does indeed win the championship this season, White is clearly going to wind up being their version of Aaron Gordon, Andrew Wiggins and Brook Lopez. They got him for one first-round pick and a swap deep in the future. Now? He’s basically a max player, the sort of star-in-his-role guard that practically never becomes available on the trade market. Brad Stevens has gotten almost everything right since he took over Boston’s front office. White is his greatest victory.”
π Honorable mentions
What a night in the NHL. The Rangers beat the Hurricanes 4-3 in double overtime on Vincent Trocheck‘s winner to take a 2-0 series lead, and the AvalancheΒ rallied from 3-0 down to beat the Stars 4-3 in overtime on Miles Wood‘s Game-1 winner.
There’s a new, NIL-driven event in men’s college basketball: the “Players Era Festival” in Las Vegas. Seven of the eight teams have been chosen, per our Matt Norlander.