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In Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder turned the highly anticipated matchup of two of the league's hottest teams into a rout, beating the Mavs 118-104 to end their seven-game winning streak. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 points with eight rebounds and five assists.
Jalen Williams added 18 points and center Isaiah Hartenstein added 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Thunder, who made 20 of their whopping 50 three-point attempts. Oklahoma City notched their eighth win in nine games and will play either the Houston Rockets or Golden State Warriors for a place in the final.
The Thunder's top-ranked defence proved too much for the Mavs. Klay Thompson scored 19 points for Dallas, Kyrie Irving added 17 and Luka Doncic, coming off back-to-back triple-doubles, was held to two points in the first half and finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Oklahoma City parlayed 19 Mavs turnovers into 36 points and won the rebounding battle 52-44. The quarter-finals will conclude on Wednesday when the Knicks host the Hawks and the Rockets host the Warriors.
The action then shifts to Las Vegas for the semi-finals on Saturday and the final on December 17. With Vegas beckoning, Gilgeous-Alexander said the game against a Mavs team that ousted them in last year's playoffs had "a little bit of a playoff feel, a little bit more at stake than just a regular-season game. "I'm proud of the team, proud of the guys," he said. "We rose to the moment."
