Mavericks Take Game Two in Oklahoma City

After dropping Game One by 23 points on Tuesday night, the Mavericks bounced back very nicely in Game Two, with a 119-110 victory, evening the series at 1-1. This win was powered by a 29-point double-double by Luka Doncic, 29 points from P.J. Washington and 17 points from Tim Hardaway Jr. Kyrie Irving only had nine points on two for eight from the field, which proved to not be detrimental in the Mavericks Game Two win. However, going forward, they should expect more from their All-Star shooting guard. A very exciting moment was an insane pass by Doncic in the first five minutes of the game, which has already gone viral on social media. This is, yet another, unbelievable Doncic highlight, who many believe was snubbed of his first MVP Award.

For the Thunder, Shai Gilgesous-Alexander dropped 33 points and was two assists shy of a triple-double, Jalen Williams dropped 20 points and Chet Holmgren dropped 11 points. For such a young, deep Oklahoma City team, it was surprising seeing them only having three players in double figures, which proved timely in the loss. On the other hand, for a Dallas team that is somewhat top-heavy, a lot of guys show up in Friday’s win. This was highlighted by Washington’s 29 points, a career-high in the playoffs for him. This, along with the 17 points in limited playing time for Hardaway Jr., was a huge boost for the team while Irving struggled throughout the game. This is very promising for a  Mavericks team that is looking for their second NBA Championship and first, since their legendary 2011 Finals run. 

The inexperience of the Thunder really showed in this game. The one-seed has one of the youngest rosters in the league, and many fans are wondering if this inexperience is hindering their chances of making a finals run. However, with the Thunder, we’ve seen them make a run with a young roster in the past. The Mavericks have a good roster as well, but if the Thunder can continue to hold down Irving throughout the rest of the series, they can make it back to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2016. This has been a good series so far, and if Game Two is telling of anything, it has the potential to be the most exciting so far in these playoffs.