NBA highlights on May 18: Mavs beat OKC with muscle and toughness

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-116 in Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday, winning the series 4-2.

The two teams' aces contributed their signature performances. Luka Doncic dropped a triple-double of 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Mavericks. Kyrie Irving got 22 points, including 18 in the second half. On the Thunder's side, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) shot 14-for-25 from the field to score game-high 36 points. He also had eight assists and two blocks.

However, it was the role players' work that sealed the deal for the Mavericks at the end. Derrick Jones Jr. contributed 22 points after knocking down four triples out of six attempts. Dereck Lively II had a double-double of 12 points and 15 rebounds. P.J. Washington got nine points, but all in the fourth quarter. He drew a shooting foul by SGA outside the 3-point line in the final seconds of the period and made two of the three free throws to put his side back on lead.

Jones Jr., Lively II and Washington are three of the best defenders on the Mavericks' roster and have the biggest advantage over the Thunder because of their size, athleticism and power.

The three came together to grab 11 offensive rebounds, more than the entirety of their opponents' team. Jones Jr.'s defensive role was in point of attack, but he switched to guard nearly every of the Thunder's perimeter attacker. Meanwhile, Lively II made his defensive presence felt in the paint in the second half during which the opponents missed 23 of their 43 field goals (FGs). Washington shined later on, but better than his two teammates.

He played only five minutes in the first half after he was called three quick personal fouls. He scored no points in the first three quarters, but made two 3-pointers in the fourth period, giving SGA a reason to close out in a dash to contest his shooting in the left corner, even at the risk of fouling.

As the regular season leader of the Western Conference, the Thunder finished their campaign being eliminated from the Western semifinals. The two rounds of series they won and lost show what SGA was capable of at the age of 25: averaging 30.2 points, 6.4 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.7 blocks and 1.6 triples at 43.2 percent per game. There's a reason for him to finish in the second place in the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) race.

However, the postseason competitions also exposed the flaws of the Thunder's roster. For example, they have only one reliable center in Chet Holmgren. He is an elite blocker and has the potential to space the floor. On the other hand, his lack of strength makes him weak in protecting the rebounds. When defense grew more physical in the playoffs, he was downgraded from a big man who could do a bit of everything to a center who's good at nothing.

However, at least Holmgren was able to play a positive role for the Thunder when he was on the court. The team had no backup in his position. They had the same headache with SGA and Jalen Williams. In fact, they didn't even have a workable squad for clutch time since after Luguentz Dort, the Thunder couldn't find a fifth player on their roster who was up to snuff for playoff competitions.

Even the above-mentioned four players have weaknesses that the opponents could exploit. The tallest is SGA, who is 1.96-meter tall. The strongest is Dort, but he is only 1.93-meter tall. SGA played mostly in the perimeter. Dort couldn't contest shots by most forwards, not to mention that his defensive aggression often came at the cost of committing too many fouls quickly.

The Thunder played the best when both their players and the ball were constantly on the move. That would involve a lot of passing and good offense space, but the team has no pass-first point guard. Besides, none of SGA, Williams, Dort or Holmgren is a consistent 3-point shooter. When the team struggled to make shots from downtown, like what happened in the second half of Saturday's game, they could easily blow a 17-point lead and lose.