Big false start for the Dallas Mavericks in the quarterfinals of the NBA playoffs! Against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Mavs suffered a 95-117 defeat in Game 1.
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While OKC leader Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points in the duel between the MVP candidates, superstar Luka Doncic caused worries for Dallas.
Doncic battered and off track
The Slovenian is struggling with knee problems and only hit 6 of his 19 attempts from the field. It was particularly devastating from beyond the three-point line – there only 1 out of 8 throws found its way into the target.
In addition, Doncic lost 5 balls and recorded his team’s worst value with a +/- of -21. Nevertheless, he had 19 points, making him the Mavs’ second-best scorer behind Kyrie Irving (20).
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When Doncic was asked about his poor hit rate after the game, he was visibly annoyed. “Who cares? We lost, man,” he replied: “We just have to move on to the next game. I have to be better, we have to be better.”
A strange scene with Doncic and a fan in the front row caused laughter online. After the ball went out, the Mavs star wanted to get the ball back quickly – but the OKC supporter simply threw the ball to the side.
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Mavs already without injured glue
Dallas had to make do in Oklahoma City without German star Maximilian Kleber. He will be missing from the Mavericks for the rest of the playoffs in the long term due to a sprained acromioclavicular joint from the previous round.
Dallas is now behind 0-1 in the best-of-seven series, game two in the Western Conference semifinals will take place on Friday night (3:30 a.m. CET).
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Boston rolls over Cavs
Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics, the best team of the regular season, took a 1-0 lead in their series.
The NBA record winner won 120:95 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who eliminated the Orlando Magic with world champions Franz and Moritz Wagner in the first round.
Jaylen Brown stood out with 32 points for the Celtics, and for Cleveland Donovan Mitchell once again excelled with 33 points.
With Sports Information Service (SID)