OKLAHOMA CITY -- Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic didn't care to discuss the extenuating circumstances involved in his struggles during Tuesday's 117-95 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. Doncic, dealing with a sprained right knee and the smothering defense of Oklahoma City's Lu Dort, was held to 19 points on 6-of-19 shooting, snapping his streak of 24 consecutive playoff games with at least 20 points. "Who cares? We lost," Doncic said when asked about the factors involved in his off night. "Just...

OKLAHOMA CITY – Here are five thoughts from the Mavericks’ 117-95 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. One of the primary storylines entering Game 1 was the matchup between two of the three finalists for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award, Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 29 points, nine rebounds and nine assists for the Thunder while making a living at the free throw line. He was aggressive with his drives into the paint and drew contact early and...

The other half of the NBA's conference semifinal round will begin Tuesday night, when the Cleveland Cavaliers will play in Boston against the Eastern Conference's top-seeded Celtics, while the Dallas Mavericks will bring the Red River Rivalry to the hardwood when they travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder, the West's No. 1 seed. For Cleveland, it marks a return to the conference semifinals for the first time since 2018 -- and the first time without LeBron James since 1993. Boston, meanwhile, has now reached the second round...