Luka Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks to a pivotal road victory in Game 5 against the Oklahoma City Thunder to establish a 3-2 series lead.
responded with a 104-92 road victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder to take a 3-2 series lead. Luka Doncic set the tone with 31 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds in part of an efficient display when the Mavericks needed it most.
The Thunder were intent on flooding the strong side with help defense when going small but when Holmgren was on the court, they mixed having him cross-match and serve as the low defender versus being directly in the action. Each of these strategies was intent on not enabling Doncic or Irving to have a clean lane to attack the rim.
Dallas deployed a very small lineup out there to close the first quarter, with Irving, Hardy, Hardaway, and Green all on the perimeter. Dallas gave up a significant amount of offensive rebounds early, leading to second-chance scoring opportunities for Oklahoma City, but it was exclusive to small ball groups.
Dallas was more comfortable accepting blitzes and playing out of the pocket than in recent performances, making the Thunder pay for being vulnerable to 4-on-3 situations. Gafford was poised to attack Holmgren in the paint, playing off two feet and using fakes before launching his hook shot. When considering the previous struggles to execute in the paint with Holmgren on the floor in this series, it was a clear improvement for Dallas.
A continued theme throughout this game was Doncic making timely plays and scoring the ball when the opportunities were available to him. One sequence involved an and-one floater playing through contact early in the fourth quarter to push Dallas up by 15 points. After Jalen Williams scored on a drive, Doncic attacked the paint again for a floater playing off two feet. The Mavericks reached a new game-high lead after Doncic hit a deep catch-and-shoot 3-pointer, putting them up 89-71.
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