Mavericks come back from 17-point deficit to defeat Thunder in Game 6 and advance to Conference Final

The Dallas Mavericks led for only one minute in the first 44-plus minutes of Saturday's postseason game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but down the stretch, the Mavericks were wiser and more resilient than the ultra-talented Thunder, overcoming a 17-point deficit in the third quarter.

"You get to the point where you have the opportunity to close out a team, you have to take full advantage of it," Dallas guard Kyrie Irving said afterward.

P.J. Washington made two free throws with 2.5 seconds left, and Dallas advanced to the Western Conference finals for the second time in three seasons, defeating the visiting Thunder 117-116.

Washington was fouled while shooting a three-pointer and intentionally missed the third free throw to prevent a Thunder team out of timeouts from setting up for a final shot. Jalen Williams' 64-footer as time expired was nowhere near the basket, and top-seeded Oklahoma City was eliminated in Game 6 of a second-round playoff series.

The Mavericks will play either the Denver Nuggets or the Minnesota Timberwolves in the conference finals.

Luka Doncic led the fifth-seeded Mavericks with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Irving and Derrick Jones Jr. each scored 22 points, while Dereck Lively II had 12 points and 15 rebounds off the bench, and Daniel Gafford had 10.

"We said at halftime we weren't going back to Oklahoma," Doncic said of his team's 16-point halftime deficit.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 36 points and eight assists for Oklahoma City. Williams contributed 22 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, while Chet Holmgren scored 21 points.

Gilgeous-Alexander stood out during his first playoff appearance, scoring at least 29 points in each game of the series.

However, he was called for a foul on Washington as the Thunder held a one-point lead in the closing seconds.

"I should not have fouled him," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "We talk about it all year -- the little things that go into winning games and being disciplined. It sucks."

"If I had the moment back, I wouldn't have fouled him and would just let him make or miss the shot."

With 2:01 left in regulation, Washington buried a 3-pointer, giving Dallas a 113-110 lead. Jones hit a turnaround jumper with 1:11 left to give the Mavericks a five-point lead.

Gilgeous-Alexander hit a 3-pointer with 1:05 left to pull Oklahoma City within two points.

Washington was called for a foul before the ball was inbounds with 27 seconds left, sending Gilgeous-Alexander to the line for one free throw. The Thunder maintained possession, and Gilgeous-Alexander drove the lane and lofted a high pass that Holmgren slammed home for a 116-115 lead with 20.4 seconds remaining.

A short time later, Oklahoma City was on its way home, not to face the Mavericks in the much-anticipated Game 7.

"Clearly our roster was good enough this year to win a lot of games and be the No. 1 seed in a really tough conference," Thunder coach Mark Daigenault said. "It's painful, obviously. We thought we had the chance to achieve something special."

Oklahoma City shot 47.8 percent from the field, including 15 of 41 (36.6 percent) from the three-point line. Isaiah Joe and Lu Dort each scored 11 points for the Thunder.

The Mavericks made 51.2 percent of their shots and went 16 of 34 (47.1 percent) from beyond the arc.

After the Thunder led by as many as 17 in the third quarter, Lively threw down a dunk to cap a 7-0 run that tied the game at 97 with 6:30 remaining.

With 4:44 remaining, Gilgeous-Alexander buried an 18-footer, giving the Thunder a 105-101 lead. The Mavericks then answered with six consecutive points.

Oklahoma City later tied the game at 110 on Gilgeous-Alexander's jumper with 2:47 remaining.

With 4:54 left in the first half, Doncic drained a 3-pointer, giving Dallas a 42-40 lead. That lead lasted exactly one minute and was the only time the Mavericks led until late in the game. The Thunder outscored Dallas 24-6 for the remainder of the second quarter, leading 64-48 at halftime.

Oklahoma City led 77-60 after Holmgren's basket with 8:25 remaining in the third quarter, before Dallas went on a 13-point run.

"Being down 17 in a closeout game isn't a position you want to be in," Irving said. "But that's where we found ourselves. We had to respond the way we've been responding all season."

The Mavericks were eliminated from the 2022 Western Conference finals by the Golden State Warriors in five games.

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