NBA Playoffs: Luka Dončić and the Mavericks bounce back with a dominant win over the Thunder to take a 3-2 lead

Monday, it seems, was simply a bad night for Luka Dončić.

The Dallas Mavericks star looked back to his old self on Wednesday night after a tough performance in Game 4 of their series. He didn't argue much with officials at all, which was rare lately, and his knee didn't seem to bother him at all. Dončić posted a massive 30-point triple-double to lead the Mavericks to a 104-92 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinal series at Paycom Center.

The win – after Dončić and the Mavericks missed a perfect opportunity to push the conference's top seed to the brink of elimination in Game 4 of the series on Monday night – now gives Dallas a 3-2 lead in the series. They are one win away from reaching the Western Conference finals for the second time in the last three seasons and ending the Thunder's best season in nearly a decade.

After a tight opening phase, the Mavericks broke the game open in the second quarter. They opened the period with an impressive 16-5 run while largely shutting down the Thunder's offense – which went almost four full minutes without scoring a field goal. Dončić also threw a ridiculous lob across the court to Dereck Lively during this phase.

Despite holding a 15-point lead at the top, the Mavericks held on late in the period and went into the locker room at halftime with a 10-point lead.

Despite only allowing two free throws in the first 36 minutes, Dallas maintained its double-digit lead early in the fourth quarter. Every time the Thunder started to cut the deficit, like after a ridiculous and-one by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the final minute of the quarter, the Mavericks had the perfect answer.

Dončić and the Mavericks also ended the game almost immediately in the fourth quarter. They opened the period with a 10:4 run and forced a Thunder timeout after less than three minutes. Dončić was also responsible for eight of those points, including a deep three-pointer that suddenly increased their total to 19.

While the Thunder went on a very quick 10-0 run midway through the quarter to threaten Dallas' victory, it came too late. The Mavericks were able to secure the 12-point win, sealed in part by a huge block from Derrick Jones Jr. on a 3-pointer from Chet Holmgren and a huge slam in the final two minutes.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 30 points, eight assists and six rebounds in the loss. Holmgren finished the game with 13 points and four rebounds, and Jalen Williams added 12 points and six rebounds. The Thunder shot just 25% from behind the arc as a team and allowed more than 100 points for the third time so far this postseason.

Dončić finished the game with 31 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds after shooting 12 of 22 from the field in the win for Dallas. It was his third 30-point postseason triple-double of his career. Jones added 19 points by shooting 7 of 9 from the field and Kyrie Irving finished the game with 12 points. PJ Washington, who dominated this series, finished with 10 points – all of which came in the second half – and 10 rebounds.

Game 6 of the series is scheduled for Saturday evening in Dallas.