OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Two young MVP finalists will square off when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and No. 1 seed Oklahoma City face Luka Doncic and No. 5 seed Dallas in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.
The series matching the high-scoring 25-year-olds begins Tuesday.
Doncic led the league in scoring this season at 33.9 points per game. The 6-foot-7, 230-pound guard averaged 29.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 9.5 assists in six first-round games against the Los Angeles Clippers.
He also has way more playoff experience than Gilgeous-Alexander, having led the Mavs to the Western Conference finals two years ago. The Thunder are coming off their first playoff series win since 2016.
“He is who he is for a reason,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “No one guy slows him down.”
Oklahoma City’s Lu Dort, one of the league’s best defensive wing players, will guard Doncic most of the time. While Doncic often overpowers opponents, Dort is solid at 6-4 and 220 pounds.
A subset of Alzheimer's cases may be caused by two copies of a single gene, new research shows
Mom, 28, forced to sell her dream car after forking out $40,000 in INTEREST alone over three years
Tesla execs Drew Baglino and Rohan Patel among those leaving company in bloodbath lay
Singapore's outgoing prime minister will stay on as senior minister, his successor says
This is the surprising risk of Ozempic NO ONE talks about
Yuan wins Chinese derby to progress at Indian Wells
Mom is arrested after leaving her son, 8, and daughter, 6, in her high
China reaps fruits far beyond ice
Millions of people across Oklahoma, southern Kansas at risk of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese hope to carry over college momentum to the WNBA