Luka Doncic Channels 'Old Luka' in Dallas Mavericks' Game 5 Win Against OKC Thunder

Luka Doncic delivered a 31-point triple double to lead the Dallas Mavericks to victory in Game 5 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

May 15, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II (2) and guard / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

OKLAHOMA CITY — In a thrilling Game 5 matchup, Luka Doncic overcame injuries and hostile crowds to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a convincing 104-92 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, taking a 3-2 series lead. After rising to the occasion, Doncic's squad can close out the series at American Airlines Center on Saturday and advance to the Western Conference Finals.

Doncic, who has been powering through a sprained right knee, sore left ankle and Achilles, and a stiff back, showcased his vintage form with 31 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds. His impressive performance featured greater accuracy from beyond the arc, being intentional about shot quality against aggressive on-ball defense by using shot fakes and give-and-go's, pushing the pace in transition, getting into the paint in the half-court, and being patient with passing against double teams by leveraging his size advantage.

May 15, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II (2) and guard / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

“He was aggressive," Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. "He was making shots, taking shots. The deep 3, being able to get to the basket, playmaking for his bigs and also for the wings.”

Doncic's contributions featured no shortage of momentum-inducing highlight plays, including a stunning full-court alley-oop to Dereck Lively II, along with frequent lob pass exchanges leading to emphatic slams and an emphatic block on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander floater to close the game.

"The old Luka, with a smile on my face," Doncic said about his performance. "The whole team stepped up. I couldn't do it without my teammates. Everybody that came on the floor gave 100% energy. We play as a team. We win as a team. We lose as a team."

Doncic's performance came after he scored just 18 in Dallas' 100-96 Game 4 loss. He recovered by leading the Mavericks to their second win in OKC this series. Despite holding a lead as large as 14 points in that game, Dallas was plagued by poor free-throw shooting and too many turnovers in what proved to be a winnable game.

“Our mentality, we know the last game we played against them at home, we let it go,” Doncic said. “It was our mistakes and they hit shots. In the playoffs, it’s the first to four, you got to win before they do. So you got to go game by game.

Doncic's teammates rallied behind him, with Derrick Jones Jr. contributing 19 points. The Mavericks' collective focus and determination proved too much for the Thunder, who struggled to contain Doncic's onslaught.

"This team is special," Doncic remarked. "We've only been together for what, five months? I've been having a lot of fun with this team."

READ MORE: Dallas Mavericks Held Thunder to Worst Offensive Performance of the Season

The win marked a significant turning point in the series, with the Mavericks now poised to clinch the series in Game 6. Doncic's ability to overcome his injuries and the hostile crowd's boos and chants only added to his legend.

"I love it," Doncic said, referring to Thunder fans' "Luka sucks!" chant. "If they want to chant 'Luka sucks,' it gets me going. It's even better."

When asked about the two fans who wore T-shirts, including his face with a photoshopped pacifier, Doncic laughed, "They love me. They paid for the shirts to be putting my face on them. That's a lot of attention."

Doncic used the crowd to his advantage for motivation, even pumping up the crowd while being seated on the Mavericks' bench as the "Luka sucks!" chants rained down before closing out the victory.

Doncic's focused performance was a key factor in the Mavericks' dominant win. He rarely engaged with the officiating crew and instead channeled his energy into leading his team to victory. Whatever contributed to his shooting night worked as he finished 12-22 (54.5%) from the floor, 5-11 (45.5%) from the perimeter, with three turnovers.

"I just tried to focus on basketball. We played great defense," Doncic said. "Some of the little stuff we didn't do last game, we did today."

There was a clear focus from Doncic to provide as much leadership as he could, particularly early in the game when a slew of offensive rebounds were given up, limiting the Mavericks' momentum. He was encouraging and intentional about communicating to all of his teammates coming off the court heading into a timeout, ensuring everyone was on the same page and settling the team into the game to help get on the right track.

"Yeah, I think it's me and Kai - we're the two leaders of the team," Doncic said. "No matter what, they made a run and we stayed together, especially in the fourth quarter [when they’re] at home, which is very difficult. But we did, everybody talked and supported each other, and that's what we need to do."

Doncic's teammates noticed a different focus from the Slovenian superstar well before the game even began. He came out about 15 minutes earlier than his usual pre-game workout time and was clearly locked in, catching Jones' attention and creating the expectation for an explosive game.

“I saw him in warmups. He came out a little earlier, and he was knocking down the shots," Jones said. "I was just sitting back saying, ‘It’s going to be a long day for them.’ I’ve always been harping that 77 is amazing. Once he gets his rhythm — and he got it going — it’s tough to stop him.”

There was a team-wide emphasis placed on staying together and having fun with the game. The best way to do so was to play the right way and encourage each other throughout the night.

“It’s not just joy in him,” Jones said. “Everybody out there – all five of us out there on the floor together and guys that’s on the bench celebrating for us — we all have joy out there. Nobody likes losing. We let [Game 4] slip. Obviously, we’re going to have a sour taste in our mouth... We’re not going to be smiling a lot. But you’re having fun when you’re playing the game the right way, and we’re getting our wins. So, it’s obvious everybody is going to be happy and smiling.”

The Mavericks' ability to bounce back from Monday's heart-wrenching loss and post a dominant victory is a testament to their resilience and determination. They can clinch the series Saturday night and advance to the Western Conference Finals. It was the second instance of the Mavericks going on the road facing a 2-2 series tie after a home loss and responding with a victory this postseason. Dallas hasn't lost consecutive games with Doncic and Kyrie Irving available in months.

"It's who we are," Kidd said. "We're a team that can adjust on the fly and refuse to let one disappointing game become two or more."

Irving remained a frequent focus of double teams and finished with 12 points, but continued to help set the tone defensively with being aggressive when containing the ball. He emphasized the importance of playing free and sharing positivity as a group, including the use of their off-court techniques for encouragement, such as team text threads.

"I feel like when we're playing that way and playing very free, very liberated and having a good time out there, not taking the game for granted, but just sharing each other with positivity and doing the little things, that's the maturity that we've shown," Irving said. "Post All-Star break, just being able to be there for each other on and off the court, off the court. Most importantly, telling each other that we're gonna be okay and just keep believing and the text threads that we have. It just goes a long way just for our emotions.

Considering plenty of players on the Mavericks with limited previous postseason experience, having that added intention to team-wide connectivity is even important to Irving. He described the ongoing series with the Thunder as "one of the hardest" he's participated in during his NBA career.

"This is a new space for a lot of guys on the team, including myself as one of the leaders on the team," Irving said. "This is one of the hardest series I've ever played. We have what it takes to win, but we understand that we're not gonna get there without guys feeling like their best selves.

"That's what we like to talk about - being honest about our approach to the game. We know when we're well-connected and when we're not," Irving explained. "We feel the difference when we're splintered and the game is flowing in a different direction. We're not supporting each other enough, not connecting in our huddles like we should. But we know how to respond to tough losses, and we showed that again tonight."

Doncic and Irving have embraced their roles as leaders of the Mavericks, a responsibility entrusted to them by the coaching staff and front office even before the regular season started. As the team has made the necessary roster changes to maximize their potential,

"It's something we've been held accountable for since the beginning of the season by J Kidd, Nico, and Michael Finley," Irving said. "They told us from the start that it was going to begin with us and that this season would challenge us to become better leaders.

"Last year, we knew the voices that doubted us, saying we wouldn't make the playoffs or achieve anything. We know what it felt like to fail," Irving explained. "But this season, we had a great approach and a 'next man up' mentality. After we made our trade, we knew what we were striving for. The mission has been the same since then. We've focused on doing the little things for each other, feeling good, and smiling through the tough times."

The maturity of the Mavericks' leaders has provided a strong influence for the group at large, particularly with Irving's willingness to make sacrifices to his scoring for the betterment of the team. However, he did acknowledge that he's prepared to be aggerssive taking tougher shots when he feels the situation calls for it, which he hasn't felt has been the case it.

"I'm really laying my hat on the defensive end, and giving a lot of effort and just trying to make the right plays offensively," Irving said. "They're putting three [defenders] on the ball at times for me, and I could obviously take a lot of tough shots and I think that's coming in the near future when it's needed.

"For right now, just reading the game and allowing the basketball Gods to shower me with a lot of love when you're playing the right way because, again, I've spoken on this a few times, but just internally as a young player," Irving explained. "it was easy for me to kind of throw away the good stuff that I was doing because I want to focus on my scoring.

"I know how many people want me to focus on my scoring right that is not in the locker room," Irving concluded. "I don't want to fall into that trap. Really want to focus on the positive vibes that are given to me from my teammates, and they're gonna find me when it's time. I love finding them just as much."

Teams that lead a best-of-seven series 3-2 have a very strong probability of clinching the series, elevating the Mavericks' outlook to being favorable entering Saturday's matchup. The team will have two full days off, giving Doncic a chance to gain additional time for injury management. Dallas continues to embrace the challenge of closing out the series by taking it day by day.

“We’ve got one more to win out of two games,” Doncic said. “That’s it. We’re up 3-2, but that’s still nothing. We’ve got to finish it and go with the same mentality at home.”

READ MORE: Derrick Jones Jr. Wants to Return to the Dallas Mavericks Next Season

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