Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks looked to eliminate the top-seeded OKC Thunder on Saturday in the highly anticipated Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals. The Mavericks held a 3-2 advantage after a heroic triple-double performance by Doncic to spearhead the win on the road in Game 5 vs OKC.
The Thunder took the Mavericks by storm at the end of the first half. This was evident by the 24-6 run to close out the first half, which featured a notable moment between Doncic and the Thunder's head coach, Mark Daigneault, at the 1:00 minute mark.
Below is the video that can be allegedly heard with Luka Doncic talking to Mark, arguing over a foul call with him, saying:
“They want a game 7 for you guys.”
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The aforementioned play was where Doncic got fouled and was taking the ball side out of bounds when he critiqued Daigneault's appeal for the call on Doncic being called incorrectly.
Luka Doncic and Dallas Mavericks face difficulty overcoming desperate OKC Thunder in the first half
The Oklahoma City Thunder's urgency to avoid a semifinal exit in the Western Conference playoffs was evident from the start. Led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, they began strong, ending the first quarter with a 30-23 lead.
The second quarter continued the series' back-and-forth pattern, with the Dallas Mavericks intensifying their defense to overcome a 38-27 deficit after a floater from "SGA."
Luka Doncic's 26-footer put Dallas ahead 42-40 with 4:54 remaining. However, Oklahoma City refused to let Dallas pull away, finishing the quarter with a stunning run that silenced the rowdy home crowd.
After briefly losing the lead, the Thunder unleashed a decisive 24-6 run, securing a 64-48 advantage at halftime. In the first half, Kyrie Irving missed his lone deep shot, while Luka Doncic went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit 2-for-3, and Jalen Williams made 1-for-2 from long range in the first 24 minutes.
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