In the Dallas Mavericks' 104-92 Game 5 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night, Luka Doncic put his team on course to reach the Western Conference Finals for the second time in three seasons. Doncic had 31 points on 12-of-22 shooting, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, giving the Mavericks a shutout in the best-of-seven series with Game 6 at home against the Thunder on Saturday.
Doncic tied LeBron James with a 30-point triple-double, the second-most in the postseason by a player 25 or younger. He was helped by Derrick Jones Jr., who scored a playoff career-high 19 points, as well as PJ Washington (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Kyrie Irving (12 points).
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points for the top-seeded Thunder, but no Oklahoma City player scored more than 13 points. Dallas held Oklahoma City to 42.5% shooting. The Thunder, one of the youngest teams in the league, are facing their first elimination this postseason.
“Our mood and mentality won't change,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It's one game at a time. I wanted to win tonight's game as much as I wanted to win the next game.”
The series returns to Dallas on Saturday for a crucial Game 6. Here's everything you need to know.
Thunder vs. Mavericks schedule, score
always eastern | * if necessary
- Game 1: Thunder 117, Mavericks 95 — Oklahoma City leads 1-0.
- Game 2: Mavericks 119, Thunder 110 — Series tied 1-1
- Game 3: Mavericks 105, Thunder 101 — Dallas leads 2-1.
- Game 4: Thunder 100, Mavericks 96 — Series tied 2-2
- Game 5: Mavericks 104, Thunder 92 — Dallas leads 3-2.
- Game 6: Saturday, May 18 — Thunder at Mavericks, 8:30, ESPN
- Game 7*: Monday, May 20 — Mavericks at Thunder, 8:30, TNT
Thunder vs. Mavericks, Game 6
where to watch
time: 8:30 PM ET | date: May 18th (Sat)
position: American Airlines Center — Dallas
tv channels: ESPN | Streaming: ESPN/Fubo, Max
storyline
Thunder: Oklahoma City led the league in 3-point percentage during the regular season, but in this series they shot the ball incredibly poorly from deep. In Game 5, they were generating great wide-open looks but couldn't hit anything. This cold losing streak started to end late in the game, but the Mavericks had built a large enough lead that it didn't matter at that point. If the Thunder want to force a Game 7, they'll need players around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to knock down open threes. Otherwise, expect a similar outcome to Game 5 for the No. 1 seed.
Heretic: Dallas got an MVP performance for the first time in this series from Luka Doncic, who looked much more mobile on both ends of the floor despite battling multiple injuries. He recorded an effective triple-double, and Derrick Jones Jr. took over the baton as a shining role player, even though PJ Washington didn't perform. Kyrie Irving has been quiet in this series and Dallas will need more offensive Irving if this game ends up being a close one as OKC desperately prepares to extend the series. Maybe.
prediction
Series odds entering Game 5: Mavs -179, Thunder +149
This feels eerily similar to Dallas' first round series against the Clippers. If they had responded well in Game 4, it probably would have been over in five games, but Game 6 will now be played. Just like in Game 6 against LA, I expect the Mavericks to be aggressive and play with a disruptive brand. It's basketball so he doesn't have to play in Game 7. Pick: Mavericks -3.5
