Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic to Clash in Second Round as Top Scoring Guards in the NBA

With Dallas' advancement Friday night, Doncic and the Mavericks will now face Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder in the conference semifinal.

Dec 2, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) and Dallas / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma City had waited nearly five days for the reveal of their next opponent in Round 2 following the series sweep against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The LA Clippers and Dallas Mavericks, two teams who the Thunder took the regular season series against, fought throughout a six-game series. On Friday night, the Mavericks left everything on their home floor to take that win and close out the Clippers to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals, where the Thunder await them.

These two teams have a fairly storied playoff history together. 23 games, of which the Thunder have won 14 of, Oklahoma City has went 8-1 in the last two series they have played when pinned against each other, with the Dirk Nowitzki-led Mavericks being the first and last time the Mavericks have had the Thunder's number since the franchise's inception in 2008.

Now, led by the first-time scoring champion Luka Doncic, he takes the Mavericks into enemy territory with a chip on his shoulder, missing the playoffs a year ago following their electric conference finals run the year prior.

Lined up against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a 30.1 point-per-game scorer throughout the regular season, this will be a very fun offensive chess match to see played, as two of the game's best scoring guards will be on display in a seven-game series to decide who goes onto the Western Conference Finals.

Though with several players banged up throughout the regular season on both sides, Oklahoma City took the season series 3-1. Between a healthy lineup from each team heading into this series despite a possible lingering injury hindrance with Doncic, the Thunder are well rested and prepared to take on a very talented Western Conference team.

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