Kyrie Irving heard the chant and he loved it.
"Luka s****! Luka s****! Luka s****!" screamed Oklahoma City Thunder fans.
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With Dallas on the verge of a big 119-110 road win, Irving challenged a frustrated OKC fanbase to scream more.
"Luka s****!" echoed through the Thunder's arena.
But the Mavericks had the final word.
Donic was dominant on Thursday, shaking off sprained right knee and a bloodied left knee to pour in 29 points in a tough victory that evened a Western Conference second-round series at 1-1.
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"I think that was one of the hardest games I’ve had to play,” Doncic said. “I’m battling out there trying to do my best to help the team win.”
Mavs fans loved hearing OKC supporters roar, only to fail in the end.
"Poke the bear," one fan tweeted. "Luka will drop a 50 piece on them."
"I love the new Kyrie embracing the villain role," a second fan posted.
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"He knows this s*** will motivate him these next two games!" a third fan wrote.
"Awesome," a fourth fan said.
OKC Thunder bark like dogs as young and fun NBA team keeps shaking up the league in playoffs
Irving added 11 assists, nine points, two steals and two blocks, while P.J. Washington stepped up with 29 points, 11 rebounds and seven made 3-pointers.
"I thought P.J. set the tone," Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. "We played through him a little bit in the post and I think that sparked him. He was big for us tonight.”
The Thunder are the West's No. 1 seed and expected to advance to the conference finals.
With Denver struggling against Anthony Edwards and the rising Minnesota Timberwolves, OKC entered Game 2 in a prime spot to potentially return to the conference finals for the first time since 2016.
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Enter Doncic, who fought off injuries and again looked like an annual MVP candidate.
The 1-1 series now returns to Dallas with the Mavericks holding home-court advantage.
“They have great players," Doncic said. "They have great chemistry, great team. And it’s going to be tough.
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"It’s going to be a fight till the end. So just much respect to Oklahoma, but it’s big time we won this game.”
Game 3 is Saturday at the American Airlines Center.