Luka Doncic excelled in the Mavericks’ 104-92 win over the No. 1 seed Thunder to take a 3-2 series lead on the road. Charles Barkley had predicted the Thunder to win this contest before the game, a prediction that Doncic noticed. He implored the Hall of Famer to pick the Thunder for Game 6 as well so the Mavericks could continue their winning ways.
“I don’t know. I love that show, I love those four guys. I watch it for all the games. Maybe next time he can say it again in the next game, so maybe we’ll win again. But that’s it, I don’t know what to say. Say hello to all four, say hello to Draymond too.”
Luka Doncic on Charles Barkley predicting the Dallas Mavericks to lose Game 5:
“Maybe next time he can say it again in the next game, so maybe we’ll win again.” pic.twitter.com/Bo1ACqHE7e
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) May 16, 2024
Doncic was clearly in a great mood after shaking off his playoff struggles to go off for 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in the Mavs’ Game 5 win. It was much-needed as Kyrie Irving had another slow offensive night, putting up just 12 points but maintaining his incredible defense this postseason.
The Thunder’s regular season offense has sputtered in the face of the Mavericks’ athletic and switch lineups. They didn’t hold up offensively despite having their home crowd on their side, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the only one to provide strong production with 30 points, six rebounds, and eight assists.
Game 6 will be in Dallas and is a golden opportunity for the Mavericks to put this series away. This could be their second Conference Finals appearance in three seasons, an incredible turnaround from missing the postseason entirely last year.
Luka Doncic Is Enjoying The Game Again
When Doncic came into the NBA as a 19-year-old in 2018, one of the tags associated with him was that he was always smiling on the court. Doncic’s love for the game was infectious and people could see his joy in the way he played. As the responsibilities of leading Dallas grew, Doncic’s on-court demeanor started to change and become more hostile, especially to referees.
After a poor showing in Game 4, Doncic made it a point to play with joy once again. He loves basketball, and it showed during the win as Luka was hustling and not complaining to the officials for most of the game.
“I just tried to play basketball. Just focus on basketball. Sometimes I forget this is the thing I love, this is the thing I do. My mental focus was to just go out there and play basketball with a smile on my face and just go.”
Luka Doncic on his mentality changing and him not complaining as much tonight:
“I just tried to play basketball. Just focus on basketball. Sometimes I forgot this is the thing I love, this is the thing I do. My mental focus was to just go out there and play basketball with a… pic.twitter.com/XNwedM70UK
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) May 16, 2024
Doncic knows that Dallas can’t get comfortable with their 3-2 series lead and playing at home next game.
“We just got one more. We got one more to win out of two games. You know, that’s it. We up 3-2, but that’s still nothing. We gotta finish it and go with the same mentality home.”
Luka Doncic on the Mavs having a 3-2 series lead over the Thunder:
“We just got one more. We got one more to win out of two games. You know, that’s it. We up 3-2, but that’s still nothing. We gotta finish it and go with the same mentality home.” pic.twitter.com/2GPn5Ejpn7
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) May 16, 2024
The Mavericks and Thunder will compete in Game 6 on Sunday in Dallas. The winner of the series will face either the Denver Nuggets or the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Conference Finals.
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