Led by Luka Doncic, Dallas eliminated Oklahoma City on Saturday May 18, four sets to two at the end of the sixth game of its Western Conference semi-final (117-116), qualifying for the final. The Slovenian signed a triple double with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, allowing the Mavericks to reach the last step in the West, as in 2022.

The Texans will face the winner of the other Western Conference semifinal between Denver, the defending champion, and Minnesota, who are tied, 3-3. Their duel will be held on Sunday. For Oklahoma City, this is the end of the journey for a young squad with a bright future.

The start of the meeting was to the advantage of the men of Mark Daigneault, elected coach of the year. Thirty points scored in the first quarter, good orderly defense and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander solid at mid-distance… An effective cocktail against Dallas. A dynamic that gave the Thunder up to 11 points ahead at the start of the second quarter. But the gap was reduced in a few possessions, when Dallas took the advantage in the middle of the quarter, by two small units.

So again, the Oklahoma City defense tightened around Luka Doncic with aggressive two-handed holds, which caused the Texans to lose balls. On the counterattack, the Thunder excelled and found their snipers well (47% behind the arc). A rain of three-point shots fell: five consecutive shots found the target, which allowed Oklahoma City to return to the locker room with a lead of 16 points (48-64). “We knew that Dallas was going to try to accelerate and, as always in these cases, we were focused on making [defensive] stops,” reacted Luguentz Dort, Thunder winger, to ESPN .

Absolute din

Dallas then changed its defensive system under the leadership of its coach, Jason Kidd, to move into zone. With success. Oklahoma City got lost in the lack of space, with movement becoming rarer in attack. The Mavs came back to tie six minutes from the end of the game (97-97), before taking the advantage (115-110) one minute from time.

Moment chosen by Thunder ace Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to take matters into his own hands. A 3-point basket, a free throw, as well as a lobbed pass for Chet Holmgren (115-116) allowed his team to get back in front. But the effort was in vain, the OKC leader committing a decisive mistake in the final moments. P. J. Washington scored the winning shots (117-116) for Dallas, who won in an absolute uproar.

“This team is huge, the players never complain, they work hard,” Luka Doncic told ESPN, who will find the Nuggets of regular season MVP Nikola Jokic or the Timberwolves for a place in the grand final. from the leaping Anthony Edwards. The young Oklahoma City team ends its adventure with a cruel defeat, beaten by experience.