On May 16, 2024, Beijing time, in the Western Conference semifinals of the NBA playoffs, the Thunder ushered in the G5 battle with the Mavericks at home, and the two sides are currently tied 2-2 in the series. Thunder adjusted lineup: Isaiah Joe started for Giddey, Thunder starters: Alexander + Isaiah Joe + Dort + Jalen + Chet, Mavericks starters: Doncic + Irving + Jones + Washington + Gafford .
In the first quarter of the game, Doncic shot, Chet, Isaiah Joe, Alexander responded, Thunder 8-2, Jones, Irving, Doncic scored 9-0 3 points, Jalen, Dort scored 5 points in a row, Jones, Doncic three points, 4 points, Dort, Giddey scored, Hardy, Jones responded, 5 points, Jaylin, Alexander scored, Gafford dunked, the Mavericks led 24-22 in the first quarter. Jones scored 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting (2-of-2 from three-point range) in the first quarter.
In the second quarter of the game, Irving shot, the Mavericks led by 4 points, Dort, Giddey scored, Lively, Hardaway, Irving, Doncic responded strongly, the difference came to 13 points, Chet and Alexander chased the difference to 7 points, Washington, Jones, and Gafford expanded the difference to 14 points, Dort made 2 free throws and 2 hits, Doncic scored three points, the difference was 15 points, Alexander, Isaiah Joe, and Jalen chased the difference to 8 points, Green made a layup in the frontcourt, the difference was 10 points, and the Mavericks led 54-44 at halftime.
Doncic had 17 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists on 7-of-11 shooting in the half, Jones had 15 points, 1 board and 1 steal on 6-of-6 shooting (3-of-3 from three-point range), setting a career playoff halftime scoring record, Irving had 7 points and 2 assists on 3-of-6 shooting, Alexander had 10 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists on 5-of-10 shooting for the Thunder, and Dort had 9 points and 1 board on 3-of-8 shooting.
In the third quarter of the game, Gafford tossed, the Mavericks led by 12 points, Alexander scored 7 points in a row, Irving, Gafford and Washington responded strongly, with a difference of 14 points, Alexander, Giddey scored, Doncic and Green responded, with a difference of 15 points, Alexander and Wallace chased the difference to 11 points, Irving scored three points, Giddey and Wiggins responded, with a difference of 10 points, Lively dunked, Alexander 2+1, a difference of 9 points, Doncic scored three points, and the Mavericks led 79-67 in the third quarter. Alexander scored 14 points in the quarter.
In the fourth quarter of the game, Hardaway tossed, the Mavericks led by 14 points, Jalen scored 4 points in a row, Doncic scored 8 points in a row, and the difference was 18 points to stop the game, Alexander came back from a timeout, Chet, and Dort played 8-0, and the difference was 10 points to stop the game, and Jalen made a layup after a pause, with a difference of 8 points, Gafford made 1 of 2 free throws, Chet dunked, and the difference was 7 points, Washington scored 5 points in a row, Jalen and Alexander chased points, with a difference of 9 points, Lively made 2 free throws and 2 hits, Jones blocked Chet and then dunked quickly, with a difference of 13 points, With 2 minutes left in the game, Alexander and Chet scored 4 points in a row, Jones made 2 free throws, a difference of 11 points, and with 50 seconds left in the game, the Mavericks removed Doncic and other main players, and finally the Mavericks defeated the Thunder 104-92.
Doncic had 31 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists on 12-of-22 shooting (5-of-11 three-pointers), Irving had 12 points, two rebounds and four assists on 5-of-11 shooting, Jones had 19 points, one rebound and one steal on 7-of-9 shooting (3-of-5 from three-point range), setting a playoff career scoring record, Washington had 10 points, 10 boards and four assists, Gafford had nine points and seven boards, and Lively had 11 points and 10 boards.
Alexander had 30 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists on 12-of-22 shooting, Jalen had 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists on 6-of-13 shooting, Chet had 13 points and 4 boards, Dort had 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, and Giddey had 11 points and 3 boards.
After this battle, the Mavericks series led 3-2, G6 will come to the home court of the Mavericks, from the current point of view, the Mavericks have already had a lesson in playing the Thunder, as long as they increase the defensive intensity, the Thunder will be difficult to compete with the Mavericks, because the Mavericks have obvious physical advantages, and the trend of this round of the series has changed dramatically.