The first round of the NBA Playoffs has been chalk-full of interesting series, with only one sweep in the 8 matchups. Boston's destruction of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets was a shocker to most, except the elite teams in the east. But in the west, Utah was widely seen as a dark horse team that could get hot in the playoffs. Compounded with the fact that Dallas Mavericks All-Star Luka Doncic would miss the first 3 games of the series, it seemed to would be an easy task for the Jazz to advance to the second round. In the words of Lee Corso, "Not so fast my friend." The Mavs have battled, Jalen Brunson stepped up for Luka in his absence, and Doncic himself has been brilliant since returning to the squad. Our contributor Landon Buford has a report from Dallas.
===
After beating the Utah Jazz 102-77, The Dallas Mavericks took an unexpected 3-2 lead in the first round playoff series, and they can close it out in Game 6 up in Salt Lake City. Luka Doncic led the way with 33 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists in just his second game of the series since returning from a left strain calf injury.
After the game the Slovenian superstar was asked how he was feeling after missing three games with the calf injury.
“Way better than the first game. The first game I felt a little bit janky. Sorry I use this word a lot, but I felt better today,” said Doncic.
“I think the first couple of minutes I was tired, but then I was okay. I think I was just trying to get my air back. I have to hydrate for Utah because of the altitude.”
Doncic also credited the Mavericks fans for Monday night’s win against the Jazz.
“When the whole arena is cheering for your team it is unbelievable,” he said.
"I think the fans were amazing today. They helped us get this win, if not for them we may not win the game. They push us up when we were tired a lot of our guys were tired and I want to thank them.”
As for Doncic’s running mate Jalen Brunson, he has solidified himself a big contract after his play in the regular season and during this first round against the Jazz. Brunson scored 24 points, five rebounds, and four assists in 37 minutes.
During his postgame interview, Brunson talked about how Luka Doncic made the game easier because the attention he gathers on the court.
‘He brings a level of defensive focus that is only a couple of people around the league that has that type of focus. So, I just have to be aggressive and make plays,” said Brunson.
“He is going to draw so much attention and when the ball is swinging and moving, we have to make plays. Whether it’s being aggressive for myself or other I just knew I had to apply pressure as much as I could. “
He added, “The was just going in for him and we feed off that, the fans feed off that. It was great momentum and it helped us continue the rest of the game. He’s one of a kind and makes life much easier.
Dallas look to close out the series against the Jazz on Thursday in Utah.
