DALLAS — Kyrie Irving scored 22 points, including a running left-hander in the lane in the final minute to help Dallas hold on, and the Mavericks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 105-101 on Saturday for a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.

Luka Doncic also had 22 points to go with 15 rebounds, and P.J. Washington scored 27, just two shy of his playoff high from the previous game.

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.

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

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.

Doncic went into the game with a sprained right knee and a sore left ankle and took a hard fall on his back in the final two minutes when he and Lu Dort, the primary defender on the NBA scoring champion, jumped for a loose ball. A jump ball was called, and Doncic retrieved the loose ball with Dallas up three.

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 had 12 points – eight of them on free throws – 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. He returned to the court for the second half with the shoulder in a large wrap, but played just 19 minutes, scoring 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 high 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.

Chet Holmgren had 13 points, eight rebounds and four blocks as the Thunder finished with 10 blocks.

NOTES

SUNS: Mike Budenholzer is the new head coach for Phoenix, with the franchise turning to the man who beat them in the 2021 NBA Finals.

Budenholzer, 54, replaces Frank Vogel, who was fired Thursday after one season. Budenholzer agreed to the deal on Friday, and the team made the hiring official with Saturday’s announcement.

The Suns did not release terms of the contract. ESPN and The Athletic both reported that Budenholzer’s deal was for five years, with The Athletic saying it was worth roughly $50 million.

Budenholzer – who is from Holbrook, Arizona – was coach of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021 when they roared back from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Suns in the Finals.

“We’re excited to name Mike as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns and bring him back to his home state of Arizona,” team owner Mat Ishbia said in a statement. “Mike has proven himself to be among the most successful head coaches in the NBA. He is the right leader to take us to the next level and reach our championship goals.”

Phoenix has never won a championship, advancing to the Finals three times in 56 seasons.

The two-time NBA coach of the year will be charged with getting more out of the team’s All-Star trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. The group never quite meshed under Vogel, finishing the season with a 49-33 record before getting swept by Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs.