DALLAS — Mavericks star Luka Doncic grabbed the Thunder miss and dished to Kyrie Irving, who raced down the court, eager to pounce with a quick bucket.
Defending Irving in the open floor is a dangerous game, but Cason Wallace didn’t panic.
With impeccable timing, the Thunder guard blocked Irving’s 27-foot pull-up, a shot that could’ve extended Dallas’ lead to eight points with less than 10 minutes to play.
Speaking of blocks, Mavericks center Dereck Lively II had four of them in Game 4. The most emphatic was a third-quarter denial of Jalen Williams. Lively hung in the air, spiking J-Dub’s ill-fated layup back from where it came.
Eleven months ago, on draft night, it was Wallace who donned the cap of his hometown Mavericks. Lively, meanwhile, wore a Thunder hat atop his curly hair as he shook the hand of commissioner Adam Silver.
Both knew the deal, that they were about to swap caps as part of a trade between the Thunder and Mavericks. Almost a year later, the two rookies tied in that trade are locked in a 2-2 tie in the Western Conference semifinals.
Wallace and Lively are showing us what a win-win trade looks like.
Granted, the trade was about the pick number, not the name attached to the pick. The Mavericks traded their 10th pick for the Thunder’s 12th pick. As payment for moving up two spots, the Thunder absorbed Davis Bertans’ onerous contract, which OKC later flipped to Charlotte in the Gordon Hayward trade.
Hayward has been a non-factor in OKC, and didn’t play Monday, but the Hornets trade created financial flexibility for the Thunder.
What makes the OKC-Dallas trade look so good now, and what will make it age well, is how both the Thunder and Mavericks aced their picks of Wallace and Lively — two 20-year-old rookies from blue bloods Kentucky and Duke who haven’t cowered under playoff pressure.
Quite the opposite.
Wallace played superb defense and went 2 of 2 from 3-point range in the Thunder’s comeback Game 4 victory Monday night in Dallas — where Wallace grew up. In addition to his four blocks, Lively had six points and seven rebounds.
“Cason’s playing great for us, Lively’s a really good player, really impactful player and has given them great minutes,” Daigneault said. “Impressive young players that are really contributing and doing a great job.”
Wallace, in 77 minutes, has a 7.1 net rating in the series. The Thunder has outscored the Mavericks by 7.1 points per 100 possessions with Wallace on the floor. Among rotation regulars, only Aaron Wiggins and Chet Holmgren have better net ratings against the Mavs.
Lively’s 11.4 net rating in 86 minutes is the best of any Maverick. The best by a massive margin. Only three Mavericks have a positive net rating in the series: Lively (11.4), Irving (2.8), and P.J. “3J” Washington (1.4).
Wallace and Lively aren’t just playing. They’re playing winning basketball, which rookies have no business doing in the playoffs. Holmgren is another exception to the rule.
Wallace, who played all 82 games in the regular season, seems unbothered by it all. He’s one of the quietest guys on the team. Also one of the steadiest, another rare trait for a rookie.
“That’s Cason, man,” Thunder vet Kenrich Williams said. “He’s a pretty chill guy.”
Added Daigneault: “He’s always in character. That’s why he’s so easy to trust.”
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
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