Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks rallied from a 15-point deficit in the second half to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-116 in Game 6 on Saturday night. The Mavericks advance to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs, where they will face either the Phoenix Suns or the New Orleans Pelicans.
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks authored a 117-116 Game 6 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night, and Dallas advances to play either the Phoenix Suns or the New Orleans Pelicans in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.
Doncic finished with a game-high 31 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, while Tim Hardaway Jr. added 23 points and Jalen Brunson contributed 18.
The Thunder were led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 30 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Darius Bazley added 19 points and Josh Giddey had 18.
The Mavericks trailed by 15 points in the second half, but they rallied to tie the game at 99-99 with 8:40 remaining in the fourth quarter. Doncic hit a jumper to give Dallas its first lead of the game since the opening minutes, and the Mavericks never trailed again.
Doncic made a pair of free throws with 18.6 seconds remaining to give Dallas a 117-113 lead. Gilgeous-Alexander hit a three-pointer with 8.3 seconds left to cut the lead to 117-116, but the Thunder were unable to get another shot off before the final buzzer sounded.
The Mavericks will open their second-round series at home on Monday night. The Suns and Pelicans are tied 3-3 in their first-round series, and Game 7 is scheduled for Sunday night in New Orleans.
Doncic was brilliant in the second half, scoring 19 points and dishing out 7 assists. He hit a pair of three-pointers in the fourth quarter, including one with 3:26 remaining that gave Dallas a 112-110 lead.
"Luka was incredible tonight," Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. "He willed us to victory. He made some big shots, and he made some big plays down the stretch."
Doncic said he was just trying to do whatever it took to help his team win.
"I just wanted to be aggressive and make plays," Doncic said. "I knew we were down, but I never doubted that we could come back. We have a lot of heart on this team."
The Thunder's season ended with a disappointing loss, but they showed a lot of promise in their first season under coach Mark Daigneault. Gilgeous-Alexander emerged as a star, and Giddey showed flashes of brilliance in his rookie season.
"I'm proud of our guys," Daigneault said. "We made a lot of progress this season. We have a lot of young players who are going to be good. We're excited about the future."
The Mavericks will open their second-round series at home on Monday night. The Suns and Pelicans are tied 3-3 in their first-round series, and Game 7 is scheduled for Sunday night in New Orleans.
The winner of the Suns-Pelicans series will face the Mavericks in the second round. The Suns are the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and they have the best record in the NBA. The Pelicans are a young, up-and-coming team that has surprised many people this season.
The Mavericks will be a tough matchup for either team. They have a superstar in Doncic, and they have a lot of other talented players around him. The Mavericks are also a very well-coached team, and they have a lot of experience in the playoffs.
