SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER SCORES 34, THUNDER OVERCOME MAVS DEFENSE TO EVEN SERIES 2-2

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 DALLAS (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was making his normal share of shots through three quarters for Oklahoma City. Most of his teammates weren't, until it mattered most.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points and the Thunder overcame a Mavericks franchise playoff-record 13 blocks, rallying for a 100-96 victory Monday night to even their Western Conference semifinal series at 2-2.

Chet Holmgren and Lu Dort hit clutch 3-pointers late, and Jalen Williams drove for a dunk and a 94-91 lead with 1:29 remaining as Dallas players and coaches screamed for a double-dribble call.

Crew chief Zack Zarba said in a pool report that video confirmed officials were correct not calling the double-dribble, saying Williams never had control of the ball before grabbing it with two hands and starting his dribble.

The teams split a pair on each other's home court. Game 5 is Wednesday night in Oklahoma City.

“We just stuck to it,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We just plugged away, took it possession by possession. And eventually the game turned for us.”

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The Mavericks' last chance to tie came with 10.1 seconds left when, trailing by two, Luka Doncic had two free throws. But the Dallas superstar missed the first, part of a dismal 12-for-23 effort by the Mavs from the line. Oklahoma City was 23 for 24.

“We’ve just got to work on our free throws,” Doncic said. “We shot 52%. That’s unacceptable.”

Backed by one of their best defensive efforts of the season, the Mavs led by 14 early in the second half. But their offense disappeared from there, and the Thunder slowly came back.

Oklahoma City went in front for the first time since early in the game — and for good — on Holmgren’s 3 for an 89-86 lead with 3:24 remaining.

P.J. Washington Jr. led Dallas in scoring again with 21 points, while Doncic had 18 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Kyrie Irving had his second single-digit scoring game of the series with nine points.

Dort's clutch 3 came on a 3-of-10 shooting night from deep as he finished with 17 points. Holmgren had 18 points and nine rebounds.

Dereck Lively II and Derrick Jones Jr. had four blocks apiece for Dallas, each getting one in the final seconds of the first half to continue the defensive tone that had already been set.

That defensive struggle turned downright ugly in the third quarter, with the Thunder outscoring Dallas 22-15 to cut their deficit to four — the closest they had been since the middle of the first quarter. Oklahoma City shot 33% in the third to 25% for the Mavs.

Dallas wasn't much better in the fourth, shooting 42% and going just 1 of 5 from long range while the Thunder finally started seeing shots go in after shooting 34% through three quarters.

Gilgeous-Alexander, who along with Holmgren did most of the shot-making while their teammates struggled, got the Thunder even on a jumper with four minutes to go.

“There’s nothing comfortable about playoff games,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “I thought our ability just to endure the early punches, and just not able to get back in the game for a long time, our ability to endure that was big time. In the fourth, the offense turned for us.”

Washington, making his first postseason appearance as a trade-deadline acquisition that was a defense-first move, had his third consecutive game with at least 20 points and added 12 rebounds.

Doncic had his fifth career playoff triple-double but again struggled with his shooting as he deals with a sprained right knee and a sore left ankle.

The five-time All-Star was 6 of 20 overall and 2 of 9 from long range, while the eight-time All-Star Irving hasn't put an offensive stamp on any of the first four games.

A pair that averaged just shy of 60 points per game in the regular season is at 37 in the series. Irving isn't even in the second-leading scorer. That's Washington.

“I think there’s a focus on us,” Doncic said. “When we both drive it, they collapse the paint, almost five guys. So I think that’s been difficult for us. We’ve just got to find open teammates.”

With Oklahoma City leading by three after two free throws from Holmgren in the final seconds, Gilgeous-Alexander fouled Washington before the Mavs could attempt a potential tying 3.

Washington missed the first free throw, dropping Dallas to 11 of 22, and was trying to miss the second — but it went in. Gilgeous-Alexander then put the Mavs away with two more free throws.

“This is probably the most meaningful game I've played in my career,” the Oklahoma City star said.

- SCHUYLER DIXON

KYRIE IRVING AND LUKA DONCIC HELP MAVS HOLD OFF THUNDER AGAIN FOR 2-1 LEAD IN WEST SEMIS

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 DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic already had a balky right knee and an achy left ankle when he fell hard on his back while battling his primary defender, Lu Dort, for a loose ball.

Not only did Doncic win the ensuing jump ball, the NBA scoring champion tracked down the loose ball that followed with his Dallas Mavericks clinging to a late lead.

“Everything,” Doncic said when asked what hurt, a few minutes after walking gingerly to the locker room with Dallas having beaten Oklahoma City 105-101 on Saturday to secure a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals. “I'm just battling out there.”

The same could be said for plenty of others.

Kyrie Irving scored 22 points, including a running left-hander in the lane in the final minute to help the Mavs hold on.

Doncic also had 22 points to go with 15 rebounds, and P.J. Washington Jr. scored 27, just two shy of his playoff high from Dallas' Game 2 victory.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 31 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks, but was called for a charge with Doncic defending on a drive with 29 seconds left and the Thunder trailing by five.

Chet Holmgren, who scored 13 points, also had four blocks as Oklahoma City finished with 10. But the Thunder were outrebounded 16-5 on the offensive glass by the scrappy Mavs, who had a 16-9 edge in second-chance points.

Top-seeded Oklahoma City has lost consecutive games after starting 5-0 in the playoffs. Game 4 is Monday night in Dallas.

“It's extremely competitive,” Holmgren said. “Both teams really want it. If you take the result out of it, it's everything that you want to be going through in a basketball game.”

Irving bounced back from just the third single-digit scoring game of his lengthy playoff career with 14 points in the second half, including six consecutive Dallas points in the fourth quarter that helped the Mavs to their biggest lead of the final period at nine.

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The Dallas lead was three after a missed 3-pointer from Gilgeous-Alexander when Irving drove across the lane and hit a runner for a 104-99 lead with 39 seconds to go.

The eight-time All-Star, coming off just eight shots and nine points when Dallas evened the series in Oklahoma City, was 10 of 17 from the field and had seven assists to lead the team for the second game in a row.

“One of my coaches just came up to me and said I waited too long, so obviously I’ve got to be better on my end,” said Irving, who made all four of his fourth-quarter shots. “We’re going against a young team. So we just want to continue to do the things that get us these W's, and it starts on the defensive end.”

Washington had a 19-point first half for the second consecutive game, once again finishing three points shy of the combined total before the break for Irving and Doncic. Washington was 3 of 6 from 3-point range in the first half and 5 of 12 for the game.

“He's hooping,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We've got to turn that water off if we want to win this series, for sure.”

Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault decided to foul Dereck Lively II intentionally in the fourth quarter, and the rookie center missed three of the first four free throws. But he hit the next four in a row, the last putting Dallas up 100-95 with 3:06 to go.

Lively, who shot 51% from the line in the regular season and came in 11 of 21 in the playoffs, finished 8 of 12 on free throws and had 12 points and eight rebounds.

Mavericks center Daniel Gafford, who dealt with a dislocated pinkie finger in Game 2, exited in the second quarter after injuring his left shoulder in an inadvertent collision with Josh Giddey.

Gafford returned to the court for the second half with the shoulder in a large wrap, but took it off and was still in the starting lineup. He was limited to six minutes after the break, finishing with eight points.

Oklahoma City's Jalen Williams stayed down for almost 30 seconds of live action in the third quarter, ending in a 3-pointer by Irving, after injuring his left ankle. Williams went the locker room briefly but returned early in the fourth quarter and finished with 16 points and eight assists.

Isaiah Joe had his playoff career best for a game with 10 points before halftime, hitting a 3 just before the buzzer to give Oklahoma City a 52-51 lead at the break. Joe finished with 13.

- SCHUYLER DIXON

JOEL EMBIID SCORES 24 POINTS IN HIS RETURN FROM KNEE SURGERY | SIXERS TOP THUNDER 109-105

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 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid put Philadelphia ahead with four free throws in the final 40 seconds and finished with 24 points in his first game in nine weeks following knee surgery, leading the 76ers to a 109-105 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.

Embiid added seven assists and six rebounds in nearly 30 minutes — but most important, he brought the confidence that the Sixers can salvage their season and make a postseason run with last season's MVP in the lineup.

Embiid was congratulated by Hall of Famer Allen Iverson after the game.

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Chet Holmgren scored 22 points to lead the Thunder, who are in a tight race with Minnesota and Denver for the top spot in the Western Conference.

The Sixers trailed by 11 points with 7:27 left before they went on a torrid run. Kelly Oubre Jr. hit a 3 that got the comeback rolling, and Embiid capped it off with a series of free throws. Embiid hit two for a 106-105 lead and added two more that made it 108-105. He made all 12 foul shots on the night.

Embiid sat exhausted on the scorer's table as the final seconds ticked off before he sauntered over to Iverson.

Oubre scored 25 points and Tobias Harris had 18.

Embiid was injured on Jan. 30 at Golden State. He had meniscus surgery on his left knee a week later, and the Sixers crashed in the East standings without him. They are currently eighth, 1 1/2 games behind Miami.

With a healthy Embiid, the 76ers at least have a better chance to win a series or two in the playoffs.

“He changes them significantly,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “They play a lot different stylistically when he’s in to where they have been lately in the last 30 games he’s been out or so. When he plays, it certainly changes their approach.”

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The Thunder couldn't hold on in the fourth with All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out for the third time in four games with a quad injury. Jalen Williams (ankle) also sat out for the Thunder. All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey (hip) was inactive for the 76ers.

Sixers coach Nick Nurse was impressed by the state of the Thunder, in large part because of Gilgeous-Alexander’s play.

“I think they’ve got a lot of stuff,” Nurse said. “They’ve got an incredible superstar who’s as good as anybody in the league. They’ve got some other emerging superstars that are very good players. They play a system that they’re all in tune with.”

UP NEXT

Thunder: At Boston on Wednesday.

76ers: At Miami on Thursday.

- DAN GELSTON