In what was a shocking ending, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Dallas Mavericks 117-95 in Game 1 of the Conference Semifinals. It seems to be a season of mind-blowing turn of events in the NBA. First the Minnesota Timberwolves and now Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. But Luka Doncic looked anything but happy.

And why would he? The fact that he was playing on a sprained knee seems to hold no meaning to the Mavs superstar. When he was asked about his shooting struggles with the injury, he replied in the most Luka way ever, “Who cares? We lost… We gotta be better.” 

Doncic finished the night with 19 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds while going 6-of-19 from the field and 1-of-8 from the three-point line. He also hit only six out of his 10 free throws. And all of this in 41 minutes of game time and a sprained knee. Right, the knee doesn’t count.

Lu Dort had quite a big role in limiting “Luka Magic” on the Thunder. He never left Doncic’s side. While he might have been a very stubborn thorn the Serbian star guard was trying to shake off, Dort took special care not to fall for any tricks he might throw at him. Even with such precautions, Doncic still knocked a contested fadeaway shot.

And that’s where he gets the respect of his opponents. “He’s that type of player for a reason… We’ve got to be cool with that. But it can’t just be an easy shot where he can get in his rhythm,” Dort said post-game. While Lu gave Luka his due flowers, the NBA scoring champion was already in awe of the defensive big.

Luka Doncic once hailed Lu Dort as “one of the top three defenders”

The viral video clip that was feverishly shared on X ahead of tonight’s game hadn’t done Luka any favor. In fact, it had many wondering whether the EuroLeague champion would avoid a confrontation with Lu Dort if he could. In the post-game presser of an October 29, 2022 overtime loss to Oklahoma, Doncic had said, “He’s a great defender. I think he’s one of the top-three defenders in the NBA.”

“It’s really tough to play against him. He’s been doing an incredible job since I’ve been here.” Well, the way he said it almost makes it seem like Luka is Dort’s muse in bettering his game.

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Unsurprisingly, Doncic had a triple-double stat line in the 117-111 loss. But that was only the surface. Much like Game 1, the 5x All-Star went 8-of-23 from the floor and did not hit even one of his six three-point attempts. As for his 31-16-10 triple-double; a major part was thanks to free throws (15-of-19).

Coach Daigneault did well putting Lu Dort on Luka Doncic tonight. But he knows the next matchup isn’t going to be similar. “We know this is a heavyweight matchup… We have to be ready for a better version of them coming out,” he admitted after the game. Seeing how annoyed Luka was, the OKC will definitely have to be careful.

What do you think the outcome of Game 2 will be? Can Luka Doncic play through his very apparent injury for a place in the Conference Finals? Or would it be better for him to take care of his health? Let us know what your thoughts are!