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Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II played a significant part in Wednesday's Game 5 victory over Oklahoma City with an 11-point, 10-rebound effort in 23 minutes off the bench. The rookie from Duke recorded his first career playoff double-double while adding one assist, one steal, and one block to his line. Lively II shot 3-for-4 from the field and 5-for-6 at the charity stripe during a highly effective performance, which saw him finish with a game-high plus-22 rating. The 20-year-old has struggled to shoot well in the series, going 10-for-28, but Wednesday night should be a good confidence booster for him for the rest of the postseason. He's averaging 7.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 21.0 minutes during his first playoff campaign.
Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic registered a 30-point triple-double as the team moved one win away from a Conference Finals spot with a 104-92 road victory against the Thunder Wednesday night. Doncic has been held back by multiple injuries in these playoffs, but it was smooth sailing for him on Wednesday, as the Mavericks superstar shot 12-for-22 from the field en route to a game-high 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. He had five three-point makes with 11 attempts and also registered one block. Doncic will go after his first career three-game postseason triple-double streak when Dallas tries to close out the series in Game 6 on Saturday.
Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic (ankle, knee) has been listed as probable for Wednesday's Game 5 against the Thunder. He's previously carried a questionable tag ahead of each game in the series. Injuries and Oklahoma City's tough defense have made life difficult for Doncic in the second-round series. He has pushed his rebounding numbers to 10.8 per game in the matchup, but his scoring average has dropped to 22.0 points. Doncic has also been limited to 7.8 assists, with barely 30 percent shooting from downtown.
Dallas Mavericks forward/center P.J. Washington continued his successful series against the Thunder on Monday with a 21-point, 12-rebound effort in a 100-96 loss. Like many of his teammates, Washington struggled for efficiency, shooting 7-for-19, but he was outstanding with a 5-for-11 effort from three-point range. Washington's night also included one block. The 25-year-old started off the series with a fairly quiet performance in Game 1, but he has since then hit top gear to average 21.8 points and 8.8 rebounds with a fantastic 51.4 percent shooting from deep. Dallas will need more of the same from him as the series heads back to Oklahoma City tied through four games.
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving contributed only nine points as the team was beaten 100-96 on home court by the Thunder on Monday. He finished with 4-for-11 shooting, missing both attempts from downtown. Irving's stat line also included one rebound and nine assists with one turnover and five fouls. It's been an up-and-down series for Irving, as he now boasts two nine-point duds but has gone for 20-plus points in the other two games. If the trend continues, we should see Irving bounce back in Game 5 on Wednesday. Overall, he's averaging 15.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 1.3 steals in the matchup.