3 Studs, 2 duds from Mavericks' thrilling Game 5 win over Thunder

On Wednesday night, the Dallas Mavericks played their biggest game of the season.

Dallas was coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4 when they had the chance to take over the series, and they responded accordingly in Game 5 with a 104-92 win on the road in Oklahoma City.

This game was a nail-biter from the opening tip to the final buzzer regardless of what the score was, and the Mavs were able to pull out the win when they needed it most.

3 Studs, 2 duds from Mavericks' thrilling Game 5 win over Thunder

If Dallas lost, they would have had their backs against the wall in Game 6, and now they have the chance to close out this series on their home floor on Saturday.

This will be the second straight series in which the Mavs will have the chance to close out the series at home, and hopefully, their black City Edition jerseys can bring them good luck once again on Saturday.

With all of that being said, here are three studs and two duds from the Dallas Mavericks' pivotal Game 5 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

5. Stud - Dereck Lively II

Both of the Dallas Mavericks' bigs, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, were great in this game, but Lively II may have added a slightly bigger impact than Gafford.

Lively II finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds, one steal, and one block while shooting 3-4 from the field, and all three of his makes were off lobs.

Lively II's chemistry with Luka Doncic continues to grow every single game, and they are always on the same page when Doncic drives to the bucket. If Lively II is anywhere near the rim, Doncic finds him in the perfect position.

A big part of Lively II's game was him knocking down free throws in the clutch once again, and he went 5-6 from the free-throw line overall. The Mavs need Lively II to continue to bring this confidence and energy, and he grabbed a couple of rebounds in the clutch that helped seal the win.

Having two bigs who can impact the game is massive for Dallas, and they'll need another big game from Lively II and Gafford to close the series out on Saturday.

4. Dud - Dante Exum

Dallas Mavericks guard Dante Exum was coming off his best game of the playoffs as he finished with five points while shooting 2-4 from the field, and it looked like he could finally have his groove back. The Mavs have needed Exum to step up in some way or another, and he did that in his limited run in Game 4.

Despite this solid performance, Mavs head coach Jason Kidd completely benched Exum in Game 5, and Jaden Hardy got some run instead. Hardy only finished with two points in this game while shooting 1-5 from the field, but at least he showed some energy and wasn't afraid to handle the ball.

Exum has had no confidence for the entire playoffs, and his struggles in the playoffs are represented by Kidd deciding to go away from him completely.

Before the playoffs, no one expected him to struggle this badly, and he was even expected to be a huge X-factor, but everyone was wrong in that aspect. Exum has failed to make an impact in most of the playoff games that he played in this season, and him being benched after being an elite role player during the regular season is disappointing.

Exum's shooting during the regular season made him an indispensable role player, and only time will tell if he's able to return to the rotation later in the playoffs.

3. Stud - Luka Doncic

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic was coming off a poor game in Game 4 in which he was destroyed by the media for complaining too much and missing a crucial free throw in the clutch, but Wednesday night was a completely different story.

Doncic finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists while shooting 12-22 from the field and 5-11 from behind the 3-point line, and his start to the game helped set the tone for the rest of the game. He was getting to his spots inside the arc and drilling the step-back threes that he had typically been missing earlier in the series.

Doncic heard all the chatter after Game 4, and he showed everyone that he is still the superstar that everyone knows he is.

One of the biggest storylines from Game 5 was Doncic not arguing with the referees as much as he typically does, and that was a huge breath of fresh air for Mavs fans. Doncic would sometimes not get back on defense due to him arguing with the officials earlier in the series.

That was not the case in Game 5, and he was finally getting back to his old self. Everyone knows what Doncic is capable of, and he and the Mavs need to build off this excellent performance to help close out the Thunder in Game 6.

You would have never known that Doncic is injured by the way he way he played and moved tonight, and him intentionally avoiding complaining helped him ball out.

2. Dud - Jaden Hardy

The Dallas Mavericks decided to play Jaden Hardy over Dante Exum in Game 5, and although his start to the game was solid with a tough bucket and a nice lob, Hardy failed to make much of an impact for the rest of the game.

Hardy finished with just two points while shooting 1-5 from the field in 15 minutes, and he failed to make much of an impact outside of his energy-packed start.

Hardy didn't get a ton of run in this game to begin with, but he also didn't prove that he is someone who belongs in Jason Kidd's typical playoff rotation.

One positive part of his game is that he showed some poise and wasn't afraid to let it rip, but it'll be interesting to see if Kidd elects to use him more as the series progresses.

Hardy's season has been up and down to say the absolute least, and he has had stretches where he looked like he needed to play heavy minutes every night, and he had other stretches where he doesn't look like he belongs in the rotation. You never knew what Jaden Hardy you were going to get in the regular season, and outside of one solid performance in the playoffs in which he scored 14 points, the same can be said for the postseason.

You can't judge Hardy just off one game, but he needs to prove much more to prove that Kidd needs to play him.

1. Stud - Derrick Jones Jr.

Yesterday, reports came out that Derrick Jones Jr. wanted to return to the Dallas Mavericks this summer. Jones Jr. is expected to test the open market this summer, and his agent's phone is going to be ringing off the hook this summer with the way that he is playing right now.

In Game 4, Jones Jr. finished with 17 points, three rebounds, and four blocks while shooting 7-12 from the field, and he followed this up with another huge performance in Game 5.

Jones Jr. finished with 19 points, one rebound, one steal, and one block while shooting 7-9 from the field and 3-5 from downtown, and his performance in the first half of the game is what helped the Mavs get ahead early.

Jones Jr. scored 15 points in the first half while shooting 6-6 from the field and 3-3 from downtown, and he was all over the place early in this game. He was knocking down open shots, cutting back door to be an alley-oop option for Luka Doncic, and playing solid defense.

The Mavs needed this solid start from Jones Jr. to help slow down the momentum that the Oklahoma City Thunder gained at the end of Game 4, and he was a big reason that Dallas was able to grab this big win in enemy territory.

Jones Jr. has been elite in the playoffs, and without him, who knows where the Mavs would be.

For all the latest on Derrick Jones Jr. and the Dallas Mavericks throughout the 2024 NBA Playoffs, stay tuned as we'll have you covered through it all.