Luka Doncic Praises Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander After NBA Cup Quarterfinals

Gilgeous-Alexander lit up the Mavericks on Tuesday night to knock them out of the NBA Cup

Oct 29, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) battle for position during the first quarter at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks were eliminated from the 2024 NBA Cup on Tuesday night, losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-104 in the Cup's quarterfinals in OKC. This loss broke a seven-game winning streak while the Thunder avenged their loss in the playoffs.

Luka Doncic largely struggled in this game, entering the fourth quarter with just two points before ending the game with 16, but he was out-performed by OKC's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 39 points.

READ MORE: 3 Takeaways From Mavericks' Loss to Thunder in NBA Cup Elimination

Doncic had high praise for Gilgeous-Alexander in his postgame press conference. "[Gilgeous-Alexander] is a great scorer, he gets his teammates involved, and just a lot of times it's hard to stop him," Doncic said. "I think at some point you've gotta send two, three players [at him]. It's amazing to play against a guy like this, just the battles. It's fun, and he's an amazing player."

Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic are both members of the 2018 NBA Draft Class, with Doncic being selected 3rd overall and SGA 11th. Doncic had the upper hand on their careers early, winning Rookie of the Year and making five First-Team All-NBAs, but Gilgeous-Alexander finished ahead of Doncic in last year's MVP race. Doncic had the last laugh by beating OKC on his way to the NBA Finals last year.

Dallas and OKC are now even on the season series, as the Mavs beat the Thunder about a month ago in Oklahoma City, but SGA's odds to win MVP this season (+330) are twice as strong as Doncic's (+700) on FanDuel.

READ MORE: Mavericks Fall Short to Thunder, 118-104, Eliminated From NBA Cup

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