The Dallas Mavericks have new life in their best-of-seven series against the Phoenix Suns following Friday night’s 103-94 victory in Game 3 to help Dallas stave off what would easily be considered an insurmountable 3-point deficit. -0. With the win, the Mavericks now have a chance to even the series at home on Sunday.
Luka Doncic was fantastic for Dallas in the win and finished the game with 26 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, but he also had plenty of help as four other Mavericks players scored in double figures, led by Jalen Brunson with 28 points, the game max. On the other hand, Phoenix’s entire starting lineup scored in double figures but didn’t get enough support from their bench to keep up with Dallas.
We’ll see what happens next when these two teams meet again this Sunday.
Here are three key takeaways from the game:
1. Doncic puts on a show with post footwork
The Suns walked away from the Mavericks in Game 2 in large part because they attacked Luka Doncic over and over again on the defensive end and he had no answers. It was so bad that coach Jason Kidd called Doncic, who said he needed to “get involved and play defense.”
While Doncic didn’t suddenly become the main Scottie Pippen, he was at least involved on that end in Game 3. And, truly, that’s more than enough when he dominates the offensive side of the ball. Though hampered at times by foul trouble, Doncic put in another fine performance on Friday, finishing with 26 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists and two steals in just 34 minutes.
But while Doncic usually surprises with his passes or step-back 3s, he delved into his bag of tricks in Game 3 and put on a show with his footwork in the post. He absolutely he cooked Deandre Ayton with a classic up and down:
He then took Devin Booker into the paint and faked it and worked his way into another easy bucket:
Eight of Doncic’s 11 field goals came to the rim, as he worked his way inside early and often in Game 3. While Doncic needs to play his part on defense, this game was another reminder that he makes money when he has the ball in his hands.
2. Brunson, Mavs role players step up
The first two games of this series were Luka Doncic’s spectacle for the Mavericks on offense, even more so than usual. He scored or assisted on 43 of the Mavericks’ 76 shots from the field (56.6 percent) in Games 1 and 2. That’s impressive, but it’s also not a recipe for success against a team as big as the Suns.
Dallas needed its role players to step up and provide other offensive options if they were to have a chance to get back into this series. To their credit, they did exactly that on Friday night. The bench points were pretty even — 18-17 for the Mavericks — but the other starters around Doncic were fantastic. Reggie Bullock, Dorian Finney-Smith and Jalen Brunson scored in double figures and combined for 47 points.
Brunson, in particular, was key. He was incredible in the first round against the Utah Jazz, leading the Mavericks at that point in Doncic’s absence. But against the Suns he hadn’t been able to do anything. That changed in Game 3, as he came out aggressive and scored 10 points in the first quarter. He kept that mindset the rest of the way and finished with 28 points, four rebounds and five assists in his best game of the series.
The Mavericks will need Brunson to carry this into Game 4 if they want to even the series.
3. Paul, Suns sidelined
The Mavericks deserve a lot of credit for how they responded in Game 3. They were down 2-0 and had been embarrassed at times in Phoenix through the first two games. This was a huge statement that they weren’t about to lay down and let the Suns trample on them en route to the Western Conference finals.
At the same time, we have to acknowledge that this was just an odd performance by the Suns. The first few minutes went well, but after that, they were nothing like the team that had built a 2-0 lead in the series and looked like the class of the Western Conference. They were sloppy with the ball, missed their usual shots and generally seemed out of it.
Nothing epitomized that better than Chris Paul’s seven turnovers in the first half. He didn’t have that many turnovers in the first two games combined and had never had even six turnovers in a half in a playoff game in his career. The Mavericks’ defense played a role, but there were plenty of uncharacteristic plays where Paul simply fumbled or threw a wide pass.
In the strangest moment of all, he fended off a wide-open layup to launch a left-handed hook pass that caught Deandre Ayton off guard.
Again, the Mavericks won this game. This is not to downplay what they accomplished, but rather to not say that it was a weird performance from Paul, on his birthday no less.
Reference-www.cbssports.com