Video: Luka Dončić Reacts to 'Battling' Injuries at Mavs' Press Conference after Win

Luka Dončić looked like his usual self for the first time this postseason in the Dallas Mavericks' 119-110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Speaking to reporters after the game (starts at :54 mark), Dončić noted he's "battling out there" despite the knee injury that his limited him for most of the playoffs.

"It was just my mentality," Dončić added. "I think today was one of the hardest game I had to play. I'm battling out there. I try and do my best to help [the] team win with just my mentality. Have a great start, and then the team's going to follow me."

After being held to 19 points in Game 1 against the Thunder, marking just the third time in the playoffs he scored fewer than 20 points, Dončić dropped 29 on 11-of-21 shooting with 10 rebounds and seven assists in 41 minutes on Thursday.

The Mavs superstar injured his knee in Game 3 of the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers. Head coach Jason Kidd confirmed the injury is a sprained knee prior to Game 5.

Dončić said on May 1 his knee is "not great" and he would "probably not" be playing if this were the regular season. He also dealt with an illness during Game 5 against the Clippers.

Dallas was in a precarious position leading up to Game 2 on Thursday night. The Thunder won their first five playoff games, including a 117-95 victory in Game 1 against the Mavs.

The 95 points were the fewest for the Mavs in a playoff game since Game 1 of the 2022 Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

Falling in an 0-2 hole wouldn't have been an impossible deficit to overcome. Dončić and the Mavericks did it two years ago in the Western Conference semifinals against the Phoenix Suns.

But if Dončić had played another poor game that the Mavericks lost, their outlook for the rest of the series would have been bleak.

Instead, the Mavs got a split in Oklahoma City and will return home for two games with an opportunity to take control of the series.