dpa Dallas. The Dallas Mavericks eliminate the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the West and reach the conference finals of the NBA playoffs for the second time in three years. Dirk Nowitzki laughs and cheers.
Dirk Nowitzki is still very much involved with the Dallas Mavericks even after his playing career: First, the basketball legend suddenly appeared on the live broadcast of the television station ESPN when he laughed at the expert Richard Jefferson, his former teammate in Dallas took a headlock. He later cheered on X with three words and four exclamation points: “Western conference finals!!!! @dallasmavs”
The Dallas Mavericks reached the final of the Western Conference in the playoffs of the North American professional basketball league NBA. The team around star player Luka Doncic turned game six of the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder and ultimately won 117:116 (48:64). The Mavericks beat the top seeded team in the West with a 4-2 win.
After a weak first half, Dallas was clearly behind, even by as many as 17 points in the third quarter. But the Mavericks fought back, led by Doncic with 29 points, ten rebounds and ten assists – the Slovenian achieved his fourth so-called triple double in this year’s playoffs.
Dallas will now face Denver in the West final
On the final play of the game, with a one-point deficit, he put the ball in the corner to PJ Washington, who was fouled by Oklahoma’s top scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (36 points) on his three-point throw. A challenge from the Thunder did not change the decision. Washington hit the first two free throws and intentionally missed the last one. With no time out left, Oklahoma’s Jalen Williams was only able to take a desperation throw deep from his own half, which missed its target.
The Mavericks’ German professional Maxi Kleber missed the entire series against the Thunder due to a shoulder injury he sustained in the previous round against the Los Angeles Clippers.
In the final in the West, Dallas will now face defending champions Denver Nuggets or the Minnesota Timberwolves. The series is 3:3. The decisive game seven takes place on Monday night.
For the Mavericks, it is the second conference final in the last three seasons. Two years ago, head coach Jason Kidd’s team lost 4-1 to the eventual champion Golden State Warriors. The Mavericks were only more successful in the Nowitzki era, when they reached the NBA finals twice and won the only title in club history in 2011 – with Kidd as a playmaker.
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2024-05-19 11:39:00
#Dallas #advances #Western #Conference #finals
