Luguentz Dort, Thunder ready to limit Luka Doncic, Mavs in Game 2

Before the start of a second-round Western Conference playoff series between the Thunder and Mavericks, Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said the plan to slow down Dallas star Luka Doncic was simple.

“Just make sure Lu (Dort) is on time for the game,” Daigneault said.

Dort showed up on time for Game 1 of the series, and he’ll try to do the same Thursday night when the host Thunder and the Mavericks meet for Game 2.

Oklahoma City leads the series 1-0 after the Thunder’s 117-95 win Tuesday, when Doncic was just 6 of 19 from the field and 1 of 8 from beyond the 3-point arc.

“He looked good from the 3-point line, so we have to help him,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “We need to take Dort out of (Doncic) a little better. We had some offensive fouls when we set screens on him (Tuesday), so we’ll look at that to see if we can be better in that area.”

In seven playoff games this year, Doncic is just 17 of 75 (22.7%) from beyond the arc.

“I just have to move on to the next one,” Doncic said. “I have to be better. We have to be better. We have to focus. They’re a great team, a great defensive team, so it’s not going to be easy at all.”

Dort was one of the driving forces behind Oklahoma City’s success during its 5-0 start to the playoffs, and the Thunder held opponents to just 90.6 points per game.

During a first-round series against New Orleans, Dort helped slow down Pelicans star Brandon Ingram. Dort has already been troublesome against Doncic, who is suffering from a sprained right knee. Doncic was just 1 of 3 from the field on three-pointers when Dort was his primary defender in the series opener.

“He’s just a warrior,” Daigneault said of Dort. “He brings the juice every night. Doncic is a very tough matchup and a great player who didn’t have his best shot (Tuesday). He’s going to play better than that. Lu made it difficult for him.”

Doncic is likely for Thursday’s game due to his knee ailment.

Kyrie Irving led the Mavericks with 20 points on Tuesday, but his performance was far from enough for Dallas to overcome the struggles of Doncic and the success of Thunder leader Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Gilgeous-Alexander had 29 points, nine rebounds and nine assists while making 11 of 13 from the free throw line.

“For me and my teammates, we just have to continue to attack and play downhill,” Irving said. “The pressure they were putting on us was definitely attributed to their enthusiasm. There are some things to consider, but their defensive pressure is not going to stop, so we just have to adjust.”

The Thunder had 29 assists Tuesday, their most in a playoff game since the franchise has been in Oklahoma City.

“We showed a good mix of aggression and also took what the defense gave us, keeping them on their heels, keeping the ball in front of them,” Daigneault said. “They’re really good when you slow down and allow them to plan and calibrate.”