Doncic posts triple-double as Mavs silence Thunder to close in on West finals

LOS ANGELES – Luka Doncic finished with a triple-double as the Dallas Mavericks pushed Western Conference top seeds Oklahoma City Thunder to the brink of elimination with a 104-92 Game 5 victory at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City Wednesday (Thursday Manila time).

Luka Doncic led from the front with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.

The Mavericks now lead the series 3-2 and can clinch a place in the Western Conference finals with victory in Game 6 back in Dallas on Saturday.

"We just got one more to win out of two games, and that's it," Doncic said. "It's 3-2, but that's nothing. We've got to finish it and go with the same mentality."

Doncic had been furious after the Mavericks surrendered the initiative in a Game 4 loss in Texas on Sunday, but said a more relaxed approach had been the key to Wednesday's commanding effort.

"Sometimes I forget that I love to play basketball, it's the thing I do," Doncic said. "My mental focus was just to go out there with a smile on my face and play basketball."

Doncic was given offensive support from Derrick Jones Jr. with 19 points while three other players made double figures.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder scorers with 30 points, eight assists and six rebounds.