Despite playing through a sprained right knee and a bloodied left knee, Luka Doncic delivered a remarkable performance, leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 119-110 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder during Thursday’s NBA playoff action. The win ties the Western Conference semifinals at one game apiece.
“I think that was one of the hardest games I’ve had to play,” Doncic said. “I’m battling out there trying to do my best to help the team win.”
P.J. Washington also played a crucial role, scoring 29 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, including 7 of 11 3-pointers.
“I thought P.J. set the tone,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “We played through him a little bit in the post and I think that sparked him. He was big for us tonight.”
Kyrie Irving added nine points and 11 assists, helping the Mavericks secure a crucial win. Doncic acknowledged the Thunder’s strength.
“They have great players, great chemistry, great team. And it’s going to be tough,” Doncic said. “It’s going to be a fight till the end. So, just much respect to Oklahoma (City), but it’s big time we won this game.”
The Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led his team with 33 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists, while Jalen Williams scored 20 points. Despite their efforts, Oklahoma City suffered their first postseason loss and allowed over 100 points for the first time in six playoff games.
“I feel like it was a must-win game for us,” Washington said. “And those games, I feel like, are where we play our best.”
The series now shifts to Dallas, where the Mavericks will host Game 3 on Saturday, looking to capitalize on their momentum. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault acknowledged his team’s effort but emphasized the need for better execution.
“We’ve got a really good opponent that played really well tonight,” Daigneault said. “We tried to scrap back into it. I thought our effort was really good tonight. … I thought where we left something to be desired was execution.”
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