With high-flying Jones and Lively, Mavs return to aerial attack in Game 5 win over Thunder

OKLAHOMA CITY — Derrick Jones Jr. didn’t start running the lane until Luka Doncic dribbled behind his back to evade Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey.

Once his superstar teammate began to pick up speed in transition, so did he. As soon as Doncic got Jaylin Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to commit defensively, the lob was thrown. Jones soared into the air and thew down an alley-oop with his left hand.

It was the first lob for Doncic, but far from the last.

In the second quarter, Doncic dazzled yet again when he launched a pass from the 3-point line closest to the Thunder’s basket to the place where only his high-flying rookie center could catch it. Doncic jumped into the air to celebrate before Dereck Lively II had the chance to slam the ball through the basket with two hands, forcing a timeout by Oklahoma City. To emphasize the touchdown pass, Doncic pointed to the spot where he threw the ball.

Dallas reintroduced the lob threat to its offense Wednesday, which led to a convincing 104-92 win over the Thunder in a pivotal Game 5. It was Doncic’s dominant triple-double that led the way, but the victory wouldn’t have been possible without the contributions of Jones and Lively.

“Both are very tall. They can jump, so I just throw it up there,” Doncic said. “D. Jones is out of this world. The way he jumps is just insane. I never saw anything like that. But he was knocking down 3s too, so he’s a complete player.”

Jones, who notched a playoff career-high of 19 points, set the tone early in the game while P.J. Washington was sidelined because of foul trouble. He went perfect from the field in the first half, converting on all six of his shot attempts for 15 points. Three of those field goals were from beyond the 3-point line. The Thunder’s decision to throw multiple defenders at Doncic and Irving left Jones open in the corner for wide open 3s.

Jones isn’t known as a 3-point threat. He’s a career 31% shooter from beyond the arc, but he connected on a career-high 34% on triples this season. He also hangs his hat on the defensive end. Oklahoma City shot 0-of-8 in Game 5 when contested by Jones.

“It’s always good seeing the ball go through the rim,” Jones said. “I’ve always said that I’m going to take the shots that I get, no matter what. I’m not going to pass up on nothing. I pride my game on the defensive end and try to lock up and do everything I can defensively. Offensively, my game is going be what it is. If you leave me open, I’m not afraid to take no shots.”

Lively recorded 11 points and 10 rebounds Wednesday to become the youngest player in franchise history to notch a double-double in the playoffs (20 years, 93 days). He joined Roy Tarpley, Sam Perkins, Dale Ellis and Marquis Daniels as the only Mavericks rookies to have a double-double in the postseason.

Just when it seemed like their backs were against the wall, the Mavericks jumped their way out of difficult situations. Wednesday’s win marked the fourth straight playoff game in which Dallas has followed a loss with a win. The lob action played an integral part. The Mavericks had nine dunks in Game 5, which tied their Game 4 total as the most in the series and the second-highest dunk count of the postseason (13 in Game 3 win over the LA Clippers).

Lively credited the improved lob game to the Mavericks’ intent to run on every possession. Perhaps even more impressive, Lively continued to make the Thunder pay for the decision to intentionally send him to the free-throw line. He converted on five of his six attempts. All five makes occurred in the final 2:17.

“It just makes me want to step up and knock them down even more,” Lively said. “I know I got my mom above me. I know how she’d watch me on the line. I know I got my teammates backing me every step of the way.”

Both Jones and Lively conducted their postgame news conferences together, alternating answers. After a brief pause, the question to settle the correct way to spell their shared first names was finally asked.

“D-E-R-E-C-K,” Lively blurted out.

“D-E-R-R-I-C-K. It’s my way,” Jones refuted.

“That’s just nasty,” Lively said.

Regardless of the spelling, the shared namesakes earned their “podium game” with their play on the court and Dallas is one win away from returning to the Western Conference Finals for the second time in three seasons.