Subscribe
Follow Us
Another game, another special night for Dallas Mavericks do-it-all superstar Luka Doncic. On Wednesday, Doncic painted a statistical masterpiece again, leading the Mavs to a 104-92 victory in enemy territory over the Oklahoma City Thunder to put Dallas in a great position to wrap things up in this second-round series in the next game.
Despite his stellar performance in Game 5, Doncic would rather credit his team as a whole for the success the Mavs are having thus far in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
“This team is special. We’ve only been together five months. I’ve been having a lot of fun with this team,” Doncic told reporters during the postgame press conference after wallopping Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder (via Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News).
“This team is special. We’ve only been together five months. I’ve been having a lot of fun with this team.” pic.twitter.com/5eqSeMoToH
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) May 16, 2024
The Mavericks have looked like a different animal since acquiring both Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington via trades from the Washington Wizards and the Charlotte Hornets back in the regular season, respectively. Gafford has provided not just depth in the frontcourt but a steady presence at the rim on both ends of the floor, mostly as a lob threat for Doncic and a dependable rim protector and rebounder. Washington, on the other hand, has been a fantastic tertiary (or even secondary) source of points for the Mavericks in the second round against the Thunder. In fact, Washington is averaging the second-most points in the Oklahoma City series with 19.4 points a game — just behind Doncic's 23.8 a night.
Apart from Gafford and Washington, the Mavs are also getting ample support from the others. Take for example the duo of Derrick Jones Jr. and Dereck Lively II, who combined for 30 points and 11 rebounds on 10/13 shooting from the field in Game 5.
Article Continues Below
But at the end of the day in Game 5, it was Doncic who came away with the shiniest stat line. Despite a banged-up body, Doncic racked up a triple-double of 31 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 rebounds while going 12/22 from the field and hitting five of 11 shots from behind the arc.
As a team, the Mavs connected on 52.6 percent of their field goal attempts and sank 14 3-pointers. They overpowered a still-dangerous Thunder team but one that could also be showing signs of fatigue and stress under the immense pressure of the playoffs. The Mavs also have some players without ample experience in the playoffs before this trip to the postseason but have battle-tested vets like Doncic and Kyrie Irving to lead the way.
Irving hasn't been himself over the last two games, having scored just a total of 21 points on a poor 40.9 field goal percentage in that span, but the Mavs winning both contests despite his offensive malaise just further proves Doncic's take about his team being a special bunch.
Through five games against the Thunder in the Western Conference semifinal round, Doncic has managed to average 23.8 points on 42.4 percent shooting from the floor and 35.0 percent from deep while pulling down 19.6 rebounds and dishing out 8.4 assists.
Luka Doncic, Mavericks looking to finish off the Thunder in Game 6
The Mavericks can't look ahead and start thinking about the Western Conference finals. They're not done yet with Oklahoma City, which will regroup and try to force a Game 7 as the Thunder head to Dallas for Game 6 this coming Saturday. But for the Mavs, they want to conclude the series the soonest time possible, especially with Doncic not feeling 100 percent.
