OKLAHOMA CITY — In a thrilling Game 5, Luka Doncic overcame injuries and a hostile crowd to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 104-92 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder and a 3-2 series lead. Ta. Doncic's team can rise to the occasion and advance to the Western Conference Finals by closing out the series on Saturday at American Airlines Center.
Doncic, who has overcome a sprained right knee, soreness in his left ankle and Achilles tendon and stiff back, showed off his old form with 31 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. His impressive performance was attributed to his increased accuracy from beyond the arc, his awareness of shot quality against aggressive on-ball defense through the use of shot fakes and give-and-gos, his ability to push the pace in transition, and his ability to push the pace during the half. It was characterized by penetrating into the paint with a coat. He uses his physical advantage to be patient in passing against double teams.
“He was aggressive. He was making shots and making shots,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. The deep 3 can get to the basket and can also be playmaking for bigs and wings. ”
Doncic's contributions featured no shortage of momentum-building highlight plays, including a spectacular full-court alley-oop to Derek Lively II, and frequent lob pass exchanges to standout slams and Shai Gilgeous vs. An outstanding block on Alexander's floater ended the game. .
“It's the old Luka with a smile on his face,” Doncic said of his performance. “The whole team stepped up. We couldn't have done it without our teammates. Everyone on the floor gave 100 percent energy. We play as a team. We win as a team. We lose as a team.”
Doncic's performance came after he scored just 18 points in Dallas' 100-96 Game 4 loss. He bounced back this series by leading the Mavericks to their second win in OKC. Despite leading by as many as 14 points in that game, Dallas suffered from poor free throw shooting and too many turnovers in what turned out to be a winnable game.
“Our mentality is knowing the last game we played them at home, we let it go,” Doncic said. “That was a mistake on our part and they took a shot. In the playoffs, from first to fourth, we have to win before they win. So we have to take it game by game.
Doncic's teammates rallied behind him, with Derrick Jones Jr. contributing 19 points. The Mavericks' focus and determination proved to be too much for the Thunder, who struggled to contain Doncic's onslaught.
“This team is special,” Doncic said. “We've only been together for about five months? We've had a lot of fun with this team.”
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The win was a key turning point in the series, with the Mavericks poised to clinch the series championship in Game 6. Doncic's ability to overcome injuries and the boos and chants of a hostile crowd only added to his legend.
“I love it,” Doncic said of Thunder fans' “Luka is the worst!” chant. “If they keep chanting 'Luka sucks,' I'm motivated. That's even better.”
When asked about two fans wearing T-shirts with pacifiers Photoshopped onto their faces, Doncic said, “They love me. They paid money to put my face on a shirt. They paid for it. That's a lot of attention,” he said with a laugh.
Doncic used the crowd to motivate him, getting the crowd chanting “Luka sucks!” even while sitting on the Mavericks' bench. Chants rained down before the victory was sealed.
Doncic's focused performance was a key factor in the Mavericks' dominant victory. He rarely interacted with the umpires, instead focusing his energy on leading his team to victory. Everything that contributed to his shooting on this night paid off, as he finished 12-for-22 (54.5%) from the floor and 5-for-11 (45.5%) from the perimeter, with three turnovers. .
“I just tried to focus on basketball. We played great defense,” Doncic said. “Some of the little things we didn't do last game, we did today.”
Doncic had a clear focus on limiting the Mavericks' momentum by allowing a ton of offensive rebounds, especially early in the game, and showing as much leadership as possible. He purposefully communicates to all his teammates coming off the court heading into timeouts, making sure everyone is on the same page and providing encouragement about settling the team into the game to get them on the right track. And it was done intentionally.
“Well, I think it's me and Kai. We're the two leaders on the team,” Doncic said. “No matter what, they came through and we just kept coming together, especially in the fourth quarter.” [when they’re] At home, it's very difficult. But we did, everyone talked to each other and supported each other, and that's what we need to do. ”
Doncic's teammates noticed a difference in the Slovenian superstar's focus well before the game started. He came out about 15 minutes early than his normal pregame training time and was clearly locked in, catching Jones' attention and creating anticipation for an explosive match.
“I saw him during warmups.'' “He was coming out a little early and making shots,'' Jones said. “I just sat there and said, 'It's going to be a long day for them.'” I always said 77 was amazing. Once he gets into a rhythm and gets it going, it's hard to stop him. ”
The emphasis was on the whole team coming together and enjoying the game. The best way to do that was to play the right way and encourage each other all night.
“There's more than just joy in him,” Jones said. “Everyone there, all five of us on the floor together, and even the guys on the bench celebrating, we all feel the joy out there. People like to lose. No, I will. [Game 4] slip. Obviously, there will be a sour taste in the mouth…we can't laugh a lot. But when you're playing the game the right way, you're having fun and we're winning. Therefore, it is clear that everyone will be happy and smile. ”
The Mavericks' ability to bounce back from Monday's heartbreaking loss and win a dominating victory is a testament to their resiliency and determination. They can clinch the series on Saturday night and advance to the Western Conference Finals. It was the second time the Mavericks had won this postseason, facing a 2-2 series tie after losing at home. Dallas hasn't lost back-to-back games in recent months with Doncic and Kyrie Irving available.
“That's who we are,” Kidd said. “We're a team that can adjust on the fly and won't let one disappointing game turn into two or more.”
Irving continued to attract attention with double teams and finished with 12 points, but he also became aggressive when possessing the ball and continued to help set the tone for the defense. He emphasized the importance of playing freely and sharing positivity as a group, including using off-court techniques such as team text threads for encouragement.
“For us to play like that and be very free, very liberated and have a good time there and not take the game for granted and just be positive and share each other and do the little things. “I feel like it's mature when we've proven it,” Irving said. “Just being able to be there for each other on and off the court after the All-Star break. The most important thing is to just keep believing that we're going to be okay and telling each other the text threads that we have.” Our emotions alone can go a long way.
Considering that many players on the Mavericks have limited prior postseason experience, it's important even for Irving to have the intention of strengthening the team's overall bond. He described the ongoing series with the Thunder as “one of the most difficult series” of his NBA career.
“This is a new space for a lot of the players on the team, including myself, who is one of the leaders on the team,” Irving said. “This is one of the toughest series I've ever played. We have what it takes to win, but if the players don't feel like their best selves then there's no way we're going to be there. I understand that it cannot be reached.
“That's what we want to talk about, being honest about our approach to the game. We know when we're connecting well and when we're not,” Irving explained. did. “We feel different when we're falling apart and the game is going in different directions. We don't support each other as much as we should and we don't connect in the huddle like we should. But we… knows how to deal with tough losses and we showed that tonight.”
Doncic and Irving have embraced their roles as leaders of the Mavericks, a responsibility entrusted to them by the coaching staff and front office before the regular season began. The team has made the necessary changes to reach its full potential;
“This is something we've been held accountable for by J. Kidd, Nico and Michael Finley since the beginning of the season,” Irving said. “They said from the beginning that it starts with us and this season is going to challenge us to be better leaders.
“Last year, we knew there were voices doubting us that we wouldn't make the playoffs, that we wouldn't accomplish anything. We know what it feels like to fail,” Irving explained. “But this season, we had a great approach and a 'next man' mentality. After we made the trade, we knew what we were getting into. Since then, the mission has been the same: we've just been focused on doing the little things for each other, feeling good and getting through the tough times with a smile on our face.”
The maturation of the Mavericks' leaders has had a strong impact on the group as a whole, especially with Irving's willingness to sacrifice scoring for the betterment of the team. However, he admitted that he was ready to take tougher shots offensively when he felt the situation called for it, but felt that was not the case in practice.
“I really take my hat off to the defense, put in a lot of effort and just try to make the right plays offensively,” Irving said. “They put three [defenders] I was able to get on the ball well at times, and of course I was able to hit a lot of difficult shots. I think in the near future we will be able to do that when we need it.
“For now, I'm just going to read the game and wait for the basketball gods to shower me with lots of love when I'm making the right plays, because again, I've talked about this so many times. “I talked about it, but it was just in my mind when I was young,” Irving explained. “I wanted to focus on scoring, so it was easy to throw away all the good things I had done.
“I know how many people want me to focus on scoring outside of the locker room,” Irving concluded. “I don't want to fall into that trap. I really want to focus on the positive vibes that I get from my teammates. They'll find me when the time comes. I love finding them as much as I do.”
The Mavericks' outlook is favorable heading into Saturday's matchup, as the team with a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series has a strong chance of winning the series. The team will have two full days off, giving Doncic a chance to get additional time to manage his injury. Dallas continues to accept the challenge of ending the series every day.
“We need to win one more of the two games,” Doncic said. “That's it. We're up 3-2, but it's still nothing. We have to finish it and play with the same mindset at home.”
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