Mavericks most to blame for heartbreaking Game 4 loss to Thunder

Converting at the charity stripe is not exactly the Mavericks’ strong suit. They have a few marksmen from the line, with Kyrie Irving and Tim Hardaway Jr. being near guarantees to make their free throws, but their rotation is full of players who aren’t as adept as them. They say that contending teams take after the identity of their best player, and this is certainly true for the Mavericks with regard to free-throw shooting as Luka Doncic is a career 74.7 percent shooter from there, and on high volume as well.

On Monday night, the Mavericks left a ton of points on the board thanks to their inaccuracy from the foul line. They went a freezing cold 12-23 from the charity stripe, which was good for 52.2 percent — a dreadful number. It was as if every player who attempted a free throw was Shaquille O’Neal. (Shaq shot 52.7 percent from the foul line for his career.)

In the most crucial moments of the game, the Mavericks could not convert their free throws. Luka Doncic, in particular, was guilty of perhaps their most backbreaking miss of the night. With the Mavs down by two, 96-94, Doncic earned himself a trip to the stripe after Luguentz Dort tripped him up. Doncic ended up splitting a pair, so instead of a tie game, Dallas had to continue playing keep up in a game they led for most of its runtime.

The Thunder then converted both of their freebies, with Chet Holmgren calmly sinking both shots from 15 feet. With the score at 98-95, OKC then intentionally fouled PJ Washington to prevent the Mavericks from getting a game-tying three-point attempt up. Washington has shot the ball well from the field in recent games, but his work at the foul line needs work. A career 70.5 percent shooter from the charity stripe, Washington followed Doncic’s lead and made just one of two, essentially sealing their defeat.

That was simply the story of the game; the Mavericks barely made half of their free throws, while the Thunder went 23-24 — an 11-point difference despite taking just one more attempt than Dallas did.

The Mavericks posted the fourth-worst free-throw percentage (75.8) as a team during the regular season. But they have delivered when it counts. In Game 3, they survived the Thunder’s comeback attempt due to their ability to convert their freebies. Even Dereck Lively II, a 50.6 percent foul-line shooter early in his career, sank his free throws back on Saturday.

In a game they lost by four, leaving 11 points on the board is a gut punch. If they made at least their season average as a team, they would have scored five more points and won the game by one. A long practice session from the foul line may be in store for the entire Mavericks team as they head back to Oklahoma City.

Mavericks falter late as Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving get clamped

The responsibility to lead a team to victory in the playoffs falls on the shoulders of the team’s best players. For the Mavericks, they can only go as far as Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving take them. Thus, it’s not the best look when PJ Washington, as well as he has played in recent games, ends up being the team’s leading scorer in a four-point Game 4 defeat.

Doncic continues labor through his knee injury, with Luguentz Dort, Cason Wallace, and Jalen Williams all bothering the Mavericks star. The Slovenian superstar may have had himself an 18-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist triple-double, but he shot poorly from the field (6-20) and turned the ball over seven times. And then there’s the crucial missed free throw that could have tied the game at 96.

It’s clear that Luka Doncic lacks his usual burst and lift. But he is not helping matters with some of his shot selection. On one underrated backbreaking play in the fourth, Doncic pulled up for a long two early in the shot clock and missed, which then led to a Thunder runout. OKC cashed in with a Wallace triple — a five-point swing.

Perhaps working from the post could help Doncic gain better positioning so he doesn’t have to do too much work to get open. He embraces the physicality of the game anyway, and his court vision would allow him to find open shooters or an open lob threat if the Thunder double him.

But it will all be moot if Kyrie Irving cannot find his groove. Game 4 was once again a struggle; if Doncic is not at his best, it’s imperative that Irving be on his. Instead, he went 1-5 in the fourth quarter, unable to trade baskets with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander despite getting to his usual spots. Irving sensed the moment in the fourth, and yet he couldn’t stop the bleeding as the Thunder took the lead late on.

It’s a testament to the Mavericks’ defense that they were able to take control of much of the game even though they didn’t get great performances from their best players. But for them to handle business against a young and hungry Thunder team, Doncic and Irving have to be better, plain and simple.