‘Hallelujah’, who had been struggling with a knee injury, came through for his team when it counted. The Dallas Mavericks rode an ace performance from Luka Doncic to win Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinals against the No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder and even the best-of-seven series at 1-1.
Dallas defeated Oklahoma City 119-110 in Game 2 of the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals of the 2023-2024 National Basketball Association (NBA) Playoffs on Tuesday at the 카지노 Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA.
Dallas, which advanced to the second round of the playoffs as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference after sweeping the No. 4 seed Los Angeles Clippers in four games in the first round, was down one game to the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City, but the victory evened the series and set up a home-and-home for Games 3 and 4. Game 3 between the two teams will take place on Dec. 12.
Leading 68-62 at halftime, Dallas briefly rallied in the third quarter on a floater by Oklahoma City’s Aaron Wiggins and a three-pointer by Rugenz Dollt. But a Tim Hardaway Jr. three-pointer sparked a run to regain the lead, and they took a 10-point lead, 99-89, into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Doncic put the game away. Doncic hit a 3-pointer with 9:02 left in the game to cut the deficit to 101-95, and then scored four straight points in the final 6:21 to pull Oklahoma City back within 106-101. Dallas sealed the game when Kyrie Irving hit both free throws he was fouled on with 25.1 seconds left to make it 119-108.
Doncic, who hasn’t shot well from beyond the arc since Game 1 of the playoffs due to a knee injury, had a great feel for the game, hitting 5-of-8 3-pointers on the night, en route to a 29-point, 10-rebound, seven-assist all-around performance. P.J. Washington, who also hit seven three-pointers, backed him up with a 29-point, 11-rebound double-double. Oklahoma City was led by “Ace” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 33 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists.