When Luka Doncic landed hard on his back while battling Lu Dort, his main defender, for a loose ball, he already had an aching left ankle and a balky right knee.
Doncic, who led his Dallas Mavericks to a late lead, not only won the subsequent jump ball but also recovered the loose ball that followed.
After scoring 22 points, Luka Doncic tries to get a move on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the Mavericks defeat the Thunder 105-101 in Game 3.
A few minutes after cautiously making his way to the locker room, Doncic responded, “Everything,” when asked what hurt. Dallas had defeated Oklahoma City 105-101 on Saturday to take a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference playoffs. “I am simply fighting in the field.”
For many more, the same could be said.
To help the Mavs hang on, Kyrie Irving scored 22 points, including a running left-hander in the lane in the closing seconds.
P.J. Washington Jr. scored 27, just two points short of his postseason best from Dallas’ Game 2 triumph, while Doncic added 22 points and 15 rebounds.
With 29 seconds remaining and the Thunder down five, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 31 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks, was called for a charge while Doncic was guarding a drive.
Oklahoma City concluded with ten points, led by four blocks by Chet Holmgren, who finished with 13 points. However, the gritty Mavs outrebounded the Thunder 16–5 on the offensive glass and had a 16–9 advantage in second-chance points.
3Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points for the Thunder in a losing effort.Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Top-seeded Oklahoma City has lost consecutive games after starting 5-0 in the playoffs. Game 4 is Monday night in Dallas.
“It’s extremely competitive,” Holmgren said. “Both teams really want it. If you take the result out of it, it’s everything that you want to be going through in a basketball game.”
Irving bounced back from just the third single-digit scoring game of his lengthy playoff career with 14 points in the second half, including six consecutive Dallas points in the fourth quarter that helped the Mavs to their biggest lead of the final period at nine.
The Dallas lead was three after a missed 3-pointer from Gilgeous-Alexander when Irving drove across the lane and hit a runner for a 104-99 lead with 39 seconds to go.