OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) 鈥� Two 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 .
鈥淗e is who he is for a reason,鈥� Gilgeous-Alexander said. 鈥淣o one guy slows him down.鈥�
Oklahoma City鈥檚 Lu Dort, one of the league鈥檚 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.
鈥淗e plays hard at all times,鈥� Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. 鈥淒ort is one that鈥檚 going to compete when he鈥檚 on the floor. That鈥檚 how he came in the league, and that鈥檚 how he鈥檚 still playing. Until he leaves the league, he鈥檚 going to play hard. He understands his defense has caused a problem in this league. He plays hard for the time that he鈥檚 out on the floor. ... He knows no other way.鈥�
Jalen Williams and rookie Cason Wallace also likely will get some of the work guarding Doncic. Rookie Chet Holmgren, a 7-1 center, will be waiting to help. Those players helped the Thunder finish the season .
鈥淲e have some some dogs that we have a lot of confidence in and we have a team behind those guys," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not on an island against a player like him. ... We all have to be locked in. But we鈥檙e going to depend on our guys.鈥�
Gilgeous-Alexander finished third in the league at 30.1 points per game, and he shot 53.5% from the field. The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 27.3 points in the Thunder's first-round sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans.
鈥淗e鈥檚 one of the best young players in this league and so he puts a lot of pressure on your defense,鈥� Kidd said. 鈥淓veryone鈥檚 going to get a chance to guard him.鈥�
Gilgeous-Alexander attacks the paint relentlessly, often finishing at awkward angles in traffic. Dallas center Dereck Lively II said the goal is to make him uncomfortable.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just going to be able to try to show him a crowd, trying to make sure we know his spots and trying to get him off of his spots,鈥� Lively said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 going to make tough shots. He鈥檚 going to make crazy shots.鈥�
Dallas center Daniel Gafford said slowing Gilgeous-Alexander will require discipline and teamwork.
鈥淒on鈥檛 fall for pump fakes and stay out of foul trouble,鈥� Gafford said. 鈥淭rying to do our best trying to protect the basket against guys that predominantly always go down to the basket, try to finish around the rim. Communication is key.鈥�
SECOND OPTIONS
Both teams have high-level No. 2 scorers.
For Dallas, it鈥檚 Kyrie Irving. He averaged 26.5 points in the first round on 51.4% shooting.
Oklahoma City counters with Williams. The second-year forward averaged 21.3 points on 52.9% shooting, 7.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the first round.
RIM PROTECTORS
Gafford and Holmgren were among the league鈥檚 top shot blockers.
Holmgren, a finalist for Rookie of the Year, finished fifth in the league with 2.3 blocks per game.
Gafford, who is 6-10, was seventh in blocks at 2.1. He joined the Mavericks from the Washington Wizards in February as part of a three-team deal that also included the Thunder.
NEW GROUND
Oklahoma City is one of the youngest teams in the NBA and its sweep of New Orleans was its first playoff series victory since Gilgeous-Alexander was a 17-year-old high school junior.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be in a lot of different situations," Daigneault said. "That鈥檚 the beauty of going through this for the first time and we鈥檒l learn from them as we have all year. We鈥檒l learn from the good, the bad. If and when we lose a game, which I鈥檓 sure is coming at some point, we鈥檒l see how we respond.鈥�
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AP NBA:
Cliff Brunt, The Associated Press
