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Oklahoma City Thunder guard/forward Josh Giddey led the second unit with 11 points in Wednesday's 104-92 loss to the Mavericks. Giddey has struggled in the series, and Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault dropped him on the bench for Game 5 in favor of Isaiah Joe. The move worked out well for Giddey, as he enjoyed his best outing of the series, adding three rebounds and two assists to his tally with 5-for-8 shooting across 12 minutes. However, with the team losing and now 3-2 behind in the series, Daigneault might be forced to make further adjustments. Joe had a quiet outing with six points. The lineup change also resulted in Cason Wallace logging a playoff career-high 27 minutes off the bench. He couldn't get going either, shooting 1-for-7 to finish with three points.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had another 30-point effort in Wednesday's Game 5 loss to Dallas, reaching the plateau for the fourth consecutive game with 12-for-22 shooting. He was 2-for-4 with the three-ball and continued to make an impact all over the court. Gilgeous-Alexander's stat line included six rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and one block. He's been highly productive at both ends in the series, but it looks like the Thunder need even more from Gilgeous-Alexander as the team faces elimination in Game 6 on Saturday.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard/forward Jalen Williams was limited to 5-for-19 shooting with zero makes from downtown against Dallas on Monday, but he still played a large part in a 100-96 win. Despite the poor shooting, Williams posted 14 points with nine rebounds, six assists, and a game-high four steals. Williams' efficiency from the field in the series has now dropped below 40 percent, but he has been one of the standout names against the Mavericks, averaging 17.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.3 steals.
Oklahoma City Thunder forward/center Chet Holmgren had a good two-way outing against the Mavericks on Monday, scoring 18 points on 6-for-9 shooting and posting a second consecutive game with four blocks. He was also tied for most rebounds on the team with nine boards and recorded one steal. Holmgren is quietly filling the stat sheet each night, although he's hit the 20-point mark only once in these playoffs. The giant out of Gonzaga has put up 15.3 points per game in the series against the Mavericks with 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 3.3 blocks, and 1.0 steals.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard/forward Luguentz Dort made a mark with 17 points, eight rebounds, and one block in Monday's Game 4 victory against Dallas. Both teams struggled to score the basketball, and Dort finished with a 4-for-14 record from the field. Three of his makes came from 10 three-point attempts. He added six points with perfect free-throw shooting. Dort has been shooting the three-ball well in the postseason, hitting 42.9 percent of his efforts. However, his shooting numbers have started to drop in the series against the Mavericks, as Dort spends a lot of energy on the defensive end, trying to slow down Luka Doncic as much as possible. The defensive specialist averages 10.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.0 steals for the playoffs.