OKLAHOMA CITY — Luka Doncic scored 31 points with a triple-double and the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-92 on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series.
Doncic, the league's leading scorer during the regular season, struggled a bit in the series against Oklahoma City. Playing with a sprained right knee and sore left ankle, he averaged just 22 points on 39% shooting through his first four games. In Game 5, he made 12 of 22 field goals, had 11 assists, and had 10 rebounds, achieving his sixth career triple-double in the playoffs.
For Dallas, Derrick Jones Jr. had a playoff career-high 19 points, and P.J. Washington Jr. added 10 points and 10 rebounds on 52.6% shooting from the floor. The fifth-seeded Mavericks can advance to the Western Conference finals with a home win on Saturday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points for the top-seeded Thunder, but no other Oklahoma City player scored more than 13 points.
The Mavericks won Game 5 on the road, as well as the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers. Dallas held Oklahoma City to 42.5% shooting.
Oklahoma City added Isaiah Joe to the starting lineup in place of Josh Guidy in an attempt to revitalize a sluggish offensive line. Guidi did not start for the first time in 229 regular season and postseason games.
Dallas led by 15 points in the second quarter and entered halftime leading 54-44. Jones scored 15 points before the break.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 14 points in the third quarter, but Dallas still led 79-67.
Dallas increased its lead to 18 points early in the fourth quarter before the Thunder surged ahead. With just under seven minutes remaining, Gilgeous-Alexander's 3-pointer cut the lead to 89-79, forcing Dallas to call a timeout. The Thunder never got closer than seven points the rest of the game.
