OKC's Gilgeous
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.