On May 10, Beijing time, the semifinals of the NBA playoffs continued, and the Thunder, who ranked first in the West in the regular season, faced the Mavericks at home. In the first round of the series, the Thunder easily swept the Pelicans 4-0, while the Mavericks eliminated the Clippers 4-2. In the first meeting of the series between the two teams, the Thunder defeated the Mavericks by 22 points, and the Mavericks had no power to fight back. It's not how strong the Mavericks are, but the Thunder's style of play, which is more restrained against opponents. From a five-game winning streak in the closing stages of the regular season to a five-game winning streak in the playoffs, the Thunder's defensive efficiency has quietly climbed to the first place in the league, and on the offensive end, in addition to Alexander's stable output of 27.6 points and 5.8 assists per game, Jayway's average of 20.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5 assists per game is also indispensable. According to ESPN's projections, the Thunder's probability of winning the championship has reached 21.2%, second only to the Celtics' 45.7% and the Timberwolves' 21.7%.
The Mavericks were able to pass the Clippers in the first round, mainly because the Clippers Leonard could not reach a healthy state. As the absolute core of the Mavericks, Doncic, since entering the playoffs, has averaged 28.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game, with good data, but the two-point shooting rate is only a pitiful 39.5% + 22.7%, which is based on the data piled up by an average of 24 shots per game. On the contrary, it was Irving, who was super efficient in the playoffs, averaging 25.6 points + 51.2% + 47.2% per game on two shooting percentages, and the Clippers series exploded in the second half in a row to turn the tide. Doncic was obviously a little impatient in this year's playoffs, complaining that the referee didn't have a whistle, or facing pressure from Irving to be more efficient, and his style of play was a little selfish.
Mavericks starters: Doncic + Irving + Derrick Jones + Washington + Gafford Thunder starters: Alexander + Keady + Dort + Jewe + Holmgren. At the beginning of the game, the Mavericks were full of firepower, Gafford made a strong layup + dunk, Doncic shot three points, and after Keady made a layup to stop the bleeding, Doncic half-volleyed + stepped back for three points, opening up an 11-point difference. Jayway and Alexander continued to play singles, and Jaylin also hit a three-pointer in the middle, but Washington and Doncic blossomed inside and out, and Doncic and Washington continued to bomb from the outside in the second half, and Alexander scored consecutive difficult layups at the end of the quarter, and the Mavericks led the Thunder 36-32 in the first quarter. Back in the second quarter, after Jayway hit a three-pointer, Hardaway and Washington continued to widen the difference, and Doncic felt good about three-pointers, and the difference reached double digits.
In the middle of the period, Washington continued to exert his power from the outside, Doncic began to complain again, and the referee couldn't help but give him a technical foul! The Thunder relied on the three-point rain of Isaiah Joe and Jay to continue to narrow the difference, and in the second half, Alexander began to play in single mode again, plus Dort's three-pointer, all the way to catch up with the score, but at the end of the quarter, the Mavericks Green hit a three-pointer, and at the end of the half, the Mavericks 68-62 Thunder. Doncic had 18 points and five assists, Washington had 19 points; Alexander had 18 points and four assists, and Jay had 14 points. At the beginning of the second half, Wiggins and Holmgren fired consecutive shots from the outside, once overtaking the score. At the critical moment, it was Washington's three-pointer again, and after a few minutes of stalemate between the two teams, Hardaway scored 10 points in a row with an inside and outside shot, and then Washington also made a three-pointer.
Alexander and Jay made kills, and after three quarters, the Mavericks led the Thunder 99-89. In the fourth quarter of the showdown, Wallace and Dort chased all the way to only 4 points, and Doncic had a broken foot, but then immediately hit a three-pointer. Alexander continued to attack singlely, and Doncic responded with four straight points. In the last 4 minutes, Washington continued to dunk, Alexander hit three points, Hardaway missed a three-pointer to open an 11-point difference, Holmgren scored a rebound, the Thunder continued to hit iron, and Irving made free throws to seal the win. In the end, the Mavericks defeated the Thunder 119-110 and tied the score at 1-1!
Mavericks statistics, Doncic 29 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, Irving 9 points and 11 assists, Washington 29 points and 11 rebounds, Hardaway Jr. 17 points, Josh Green 11 points, Derrick Jones 9 points and 5 rebounds, Gafford 13 points and 7 rebounds. Thunder statistics, Alexander 33 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists, Jayway 20 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, Holmgren 11 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, Wiggins 9 points, Jaylin 8 points and 4 rebounds, Dort 8 points and 7 rebounds.
Doncic had one of his best games of the playoffs this year. With a knee injury and a broken foot in the fourth quarter, his efficiency is still good, although the speed is still relatively slow, but the shooting is more resolute, plus Washington, who suddenly broke out today, and Hardaway Jr. on the bench, the Mavericks scored significantly more. When the Thunder couldn't open the situation with a three-point shot, Alexander struggled, the Mavericks' defensive focus was on him, and his teammates around him were relatively sluggish. This series is in suspense again, and it will be up to Doncic to maintain this level of efficiency and the impact of the injury on him.