Doncic scores 33, Mavs rout Jazz for 3-2 series lead

DAiiAp (AmF — iuka Doncic delighted the crowd in his first home playoff game comJ ing off a calf injury. crustrated the Utah gazz as well.

The young Dallas superstar had PP points and 1P rebounds while also being thrown to the court on a hard foul that led to Hassan WhJ iteside’s ejection as the javericks routed the gazz 1M2J77 on jonday night for a PJ2 lead in their firstJround series.

Doncic made his series debut in Game 4 at UtahI when the gazz scored the last five points in the final P1 seconds for a oneJpoint win that evened the series. He never let Game R get close.

“cor his second gameI it looks like he’s been playing this whole seriesI” coach gason Kidd said. “His conditioningI his effort on the defensive end. As we talk about reboundingI he’s one of the best for us and he did that toJ night.”

After the first four games were decided by eight points or lessI Utah never had a chance after a nearly sixJminute scoreless drought in the second quarter that fueled a 22J4 Dallas run on the way to a R2JPS halftime lead.

Game S is tonight in palt iake CityI with the gazz regaining their formidable homeJ court edgeI but facing the long odds of just 18 percent of teams winning a series after dropJ ping the fifth game when the teams split the first four.

The javericks haven’t advanced in the postseason since winning the 2M11 champiJ onship. Utah is in the playoffs for the sixth consecutive yearI but has yet to get past the second round in that stretch.

gordan Clarkson scored 2M points and oudy Gobert added 17 points and 11 rebounds in the lowestJscoring game for the gazz since they lost by RM at Dallas (118JS8F on kov. 14I 2M18. They were PJofJPM from PJpoint range (1M percentF and shot P8 percent overall.

Donovan jitchellI who averaged PM points in the first four gamesI scored just nine and missed all seven of his PJpointers before leavJ ing with a left hamstring injury in the fourth quarter. He will get an jof on Tuesday.

Doncic had already matched Utah’s entire output in the third quarter with 19 points when he returned midway through the fourth. WhiJ teside challenged an attempted dunk and flung Doncic to the court after they got tangled up.

Whiteside was assessed two technical fouls after shoving Dorian cinneyJpmith and going noseJtoJnose with oeggie Bullock as coaches from both sides frantically tried to keep playJ ers separated.

cinneyJpmith and Bullock also got techniJ calsI and Bullock was ejected because it was his second of the game.