On May 19, Beijing time, in the Western Conference semifinals of the NBA playoffs G6, the Mavericks played against the Thunder at home.
After the previous five games, the Mavericks led 3-2, and the G5 battle Mavericks defeated the Thunder 104-92 on the road. The Mavericks scored 5 double-doubles, Doncic exploded with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, Jones Jr. scored 19 points, Irving 12 points, Lively 11 points, Washington 10 points and 10 rebounds, the Thunder scored 5 double-doubles, Alexander scored 30 points, and the rest of the players scored the most points with Holmgren, who scored 13 points.
In the regular season, the Thunder won 57-25 and ranked first in the West, and the Mavericks ranked 5th in the West with 50 wins and 32 losses, but the performance of the Mavericks in the playoffs was impressive, eliminating the Clippers 4-2 in the first round and also dominating the Thunder in the semifinals.
In the playoffs, only three Mavericks averaged double-doubles per game, Doncic averaged 27.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 9 assists and 1.4 steals per game, Irving averaged 21 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game, Washington averaged 14.7 points and 7 rebounds per game, Jones Jr. averaged 9.8 points per game, Gafford averaged 8.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, and Lively averaged 7.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
The Thunder swept the Pelicans 4-0 in the first round of the playoffs, but it was very difficult to face the Mavericks, and G1 lost three of the last four games after winning easily.
The Thunder have four players in double figures per game in the playoffs, Alexander is averaging 29.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.7 blocks per game, Jalen Williams is averaging 18.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game, Holmgren is averaging 15 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game, Dort is averaging 10.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game, Giddey is averaging 9.4 points per game, and Aaron Wiggins is averaging 6.9 points per game.
During the regular season, the Thunder ranked 3rd in the league in scoring 120.1 points per game, 12th in the league in 112.7 points per game, and in the playoffs, the Thunder ranked 9th in the league in 104.6 points per game, 3rd in the league in 97.4 points per game, 9th in the league in offensive efficiency, and 2nd in the league in defensive efficiency. Ranked 3rd in the league in steals per game, 2nd in the league in blocks per game, 8th in the league in shooting 45.7%, 9th in the league in three-point shooting 35.5%, and 1st in the league in 18.4 points per game in turnovers.
The Mavericks ranked 7th in the league in scoring 117.9 points per game in the regular season, 20th in the league in 115.6 points per game, 8th in the league in 105.5 points per game, 5th in the league in 102 points per game, 7th in the league in offensive efficiency, 6th in defensive efficiency, 10.4% in shooting percentage and 8th in the league in three-point shooting percentage of 35.7%, He averaged 12.5 three-pointers per game to rank fourth in the league and 6.5 blocks per game to rank first in the league.
After experiencing the G4 overturn and the G5 away win, the Mavericks will inevitably cherish the opportunity after returning to their home court, after all, once they are dragged into the tiebreaker, they will have no initiative at the Thunder's home court. Doncic, who sprained his right knee, is likely to play in this game. If the Thunder want to win, more players must step up, especially Jalen Williams, who is not playing well in G5, and it may be difficult for Alexander to get out of it alone.