OKLAHOMA CITY-. Luka Doncic He stopped worrying about refereeing decisions and concentrated on playing to guide the players. Dallas Mavericks.
The Slovenian star scored 31 points to complete a triple-double and the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-92 on Wednesday to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series.
Doncic did not express his discontent with the referees, as he usually does. Instead, he had words with fans on a few occasions.
“I'm just trying to play basketball. “I try to focus on basketball,” she commented. “Sometimes I forget that this is what I love and what I do. My concentration was on playing with a smile on my face and letting everything flow.”
Doncic, the leading scorer of the regular season, has had some difficulties in the series against Oklahoma City. Playing through a sprained right knee and a sore left ankle, he had averaged 22 points and made 39% of his field goals in the first four games.
But in the fifth game, he made 12 of 22 field goals, in addition to his 11 assists and 10 rebounds to reach six triple-doubles in his playoff career.
Derrick Jones Jr. scored a postseason-high 19 points and PJ Washington Jr. added 10 points and 10 boards for Dallas, which shot 52.6% from the field. The Mavericks, who came in as the fifth seed in the West, could advance to the Finals with a win Saturday at home.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points for the top-seeded Thunder, but no other Oklahoma City player had more than 13 points.
The Mavs won the fifth game on the road, as they did in the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers. Dallas only allowed Oklahoma City to make 42.5% of their field goals.
