Shai gets City Thundering in Game 1 as OKC beats the Mavs

THUNDER TAKE GAME 1

In Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series on Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the visiting Dallas Mavericks 117-95 thanks to 29 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

In his first-ever second-round playoff game, Gilgeous-Alexander shot 8 of 19 from the field but 11 of 13 from the free-throw line. The Thunder emerged as the NBA's youngest club to triumph in a conference semifinal match.  

For Dallas, Luka Doncic finished with 19 points and nine assists, while Kyrie Irving scored 19 points. 

Irving's three-pointer, assisted by Luka Doncic, with less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter allowed the Mavericks to narrow a 12-point Thunder advantage to one.

The remainder of the way, Oklahoma City outscored Dallas 51–30. 

"I think it's a muscle we've built at this point," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said of the poise his team showed in responding when Dallas cut his team's lead. "We've had to endure a lot of those situations during the course of the season. I think a lot of it comes from respect for your opponent."

After a timeout, the Thunder swiftly responded to Irving's three-pointer, as Isaiah Joe drained a three-pointer to spark a 14–4 run that lasted for the next three minutes.

In addition to dishing out assists on two of the Thunder's four 3-pointers during the run, Gilgeous-Alexander put the finishing touches on the game by draining a 3-pointer from the top of the key to enthral the home fans.

Luguentz Dort of Oklahoma City is a top perimeter defender in the NBA, and Doncic praised him highly before the game.  

During the crucial play, Dort demonstrated why by deflecting the ball away from Doncic close to midcourt, diving to get it, and then spotting a fast-moving Joe who dishevelled it to Jalen Williams for a slam.

Doncic was limited to 6-of-19 shooting by Dort and the Thunder, with Dort making 1-of-8 from beyond the arc.  

"They're a great team, great defensive team, great offensive team, so it's not going to be easy at all," Doncic said. "We've got to play very good basketball - focused basketball - for 48 minutes."

Late in the third quarter, the Mavericks went over four minutes without a field goal as Oklahoma City increased their advantage to fifteen points. Dallas, however, closed the gap to ten points with two baskets in the last thirty seconds. 

Williams scored 18 points, Aaron Wiggins scored 16 points off the bench, including 12 in the second quarter, and Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks.

Dallas committed 16 mistakes, which led to 22 points for the Thunder. 

The Thunder shot 44.9 percent, while the Mavericks only managed 39.3 percent. 

The best-of-seven series' second game is set to take place in Oklahoma City on Thursday at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.