The battle of Tennoyama continues
When it comes to the Mavericks, most people's first impression is that Doncic is the big core with the ball, and the team relies on offense to win the world. However, this is no longer the Mavericks coached by Carlisle, after Kidd took office, the team's defense has been improving, so far in the playoffs, the Mavericks' defensive efficiency is outstanding, Washington and Jones' fronts, Gafford and Lively's interior, enough to make up for Irving's shortcomings in Doncic's defense, of course, Doncic and Irving's defensive performance in the playoffs is also remarkable.
It was precisely because of the excellent defense that the Lone Ranger and the Thunder fought to the Battle of Tianwang Mountain. The strength of the Thunder is undoubted, the strength of the first in the West, the top singles player in the league, Alexander, a group of young and talented young players. However, the Thunder also had trouble, and Keady was useless in the series, so in this game, Isaiah Joe replaced Keady in the starting lineup.
The Lone Ranger has the upper hand
At the beginning of the first quarter of the game, Doncic took the lead, scoring 8 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists on 3-of-5 shooting, and Jones became a wonder soldier, scoring 10 points and 1 steal on 4-of-4 shooting, and the team scored 24 points in a single quarter. Alexander was not in good shape, with only 4 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists on 2-of-6 shooting, while Dort had 5 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist, and the team also scored 22 points in a single quarter. After returning from the game in the second quarter, the Mavericks felt hot, Doncic scored 9 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists, Irving had 5 points and 1 assist, Jones had 5 points and 1 rebound, and the team scored 30 points in a single quarter and once took a 15-point lead.
The Thunder kept catching up, Alexander had six points, three rebounds and two steals, Keady and Isaiah Joe each hit a three-pointer, and the team scored 22 points in the first quarter, and at halftime, the Mavericks led the Thunder by 10 points at 54-44. In the second half, Doncic hit 2 three-pointers, Irving was 5 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist, Washington broke up three times, the team scored 25 points in a single quarter, the Thunder did not seize the opportunity, Alexander took the lead, 5 of 8 shots got 14 points and 2 assists, but the whole team only scored 23 points, and the Mavericks successfully stretched the difference to 12 points.
In the final quarter of the game, the Thunder did not give up, Dort hit a three-point shot, Jalen scored a basket, and the difference narrowed to 8 points. Washington responded with three points, Jalen's jumper continued, Washington dunked with both hands, and one scored five points in a row to stabilize the situation. The Mavericks began to press the clock, and Holmgren's one-arm dunk once again narrowed the margin to single digits, but it was too late. Doncic hated Alexander, and in the end, the Dallas Mavericks managed to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-92.
The first in the west fell with a bang
The Mavericks continued to perform miracles on the following grams, successfully defeating the Thunder, the No. 1 team in the West, on the road, taking Tianwang Mountain, leading the series by a big score of 3-2, and it may only be a matter of time before they advance to the Western Conference Finals. Doncic proved himself again, shooting 12-of-22, 5-of-11 from three-point range, and only 3 free throws, with a triple-double of 31 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Irving had 12 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists, Jones also had 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, Washington had 10 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists, Gafford had 9 points and 7 rebounds, and Lively off the bench had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Alexander gave it his all, shooting 12-of-21, 2-of-3 from three-point range, and got 30 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. Holmgren shot 5-of-11, only 13 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist, Jalen Williams 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, Dort 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, Keady played 11 minutes off the bench, 11 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists on 5-of-8 shooting, although the team scored 5 double-doubles, but only 33 rebounds, 12 fewer than the Mavericks.