Luka Doncic joins the list of elite playoff doubles after the masterpiece of Game 6
After the Mavericks beat the Thunder in Game 6 of the semifinals, Luka Doncic has led his team to the Western Conference Finals for the second time in three years. However, this time the Slovenian is surrounded by a very strong lineup, including his teammate Kyrie Irving.
For example, both players combined for 51 points and 13 assists in their 117-116 win on Saturday. After the game in which they were separated by 17 points, coach Jason Kidd was surprised by his European guards.
“He is one of the best players in the world, but sometimes we forget that he is not just made up [around Doncic],” said the Mavs expert. “One guy can’t take you there. You need a team. Right now, he has a team he believes in.”
Luka Doncic records his 3rd consecutive triple-double, making him the 5th player in NBA history to have a streak of 3 or more in the postseason, joining:
Nikola Jokic – 4 in a row
Wilt Chamberlain – 4 in a row
Draymond Green – 3 in a row
Russell Westbrook – 3… pic.twitter.com/vuOA5hzzSt– NBA History (@NBAHistory) May 19, 2024
Luka finished Game 6 with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to his name, and became only the fifth player in league history to record a triple-double during the postseason.
Despite Doncic dealing with a sprained right knee and sore left ankle throughout the series, he has averaged 24.7 points per game, despite a significant drop from his NBA-leading 33.9 in the regular season.
“We won the series. That’s what matters in the end,” confirmed the Slovenian. “We won 4-2, [even though] we didn’t have home advantage. It’s good that we won, but struggles will come. You have to stay positive and keep looking. “
The 25-year-old then praised Kyrie for providing “positive energy all the time” in the locker room. Irving, who improved his record to 14-0 with his team’s series win, admitted that the final games were emotional.
“I was trying to hold back my emotions because of the difficulty and intensity of this series,” he said after finishing against the Thunder. “I think we should really appreciate each other’s talents and abilities and, most importantly, our will. We have a lot of guys who love to compete, a lot of guys who want to see each other do well and are willing to make sacrifices and do little things to get winners. So, I think we are continuing to prove that.”
Inside the NBA The panel agrees that the Timberwolves are favorites to win the Western Conference Finals over the Mavericks
Now that we finally have the Western Conference Finals, TNT’s Inside the NBA The panel broke down the series between Dallas and Minnesota, before selecting the Wolves as the favorites to enter the NBA Finals. Vince Carter was the first to express his opinion.
“I like Minnesota’s defense and I think they can hold up against the Dallas offense. The question is, can Gobert, Reid, and KAT keep these little guys off the glass? Gafford works more on glass, Lively works more on glass. What this leads to is more opportunities to open threes… It’s going to be an interesting series and I think it could go six or seven games… I love Minnesota,” said the Raptors icon.
On the other hand, Charles Barkley does not believe that it will be easy for Wolves, but he ensures that this will be a historic match. “I think this is going to be a great series. “I love the Wolves,” Chuck told the rest of the group.
While Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith also depend on Anthony Edwards’ team, the latter insisted that the series will be stronger than everyone expects it to be.
