The Phoenix Suns looked a lot like No. 1 overall, as they beat the Dallas Mavericks relatively easily on Monday night, holding on to a 121-114 victory in Game 1 of their run-off series. Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday night in Phoenix.
Just 14 seconds into the game, Chris Paul hit a middle-class jumper to give the Suns a lead they will never give up. It took them less than five minutes to reduce their lead to a double-digit number that would remain for most of the match. The Mavericks remained competitive all the way and used a series from the end of the fourth quarter to make the final result respectable, but it never seemed that they would actually win.
Deandre Ayton was great against the small front zone of the Mavericks, finishing with 25 points and 8 rebounds in 12 of 19 off the field, while Devin Booker scored 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Cameron Johnson added 17 points from the bench while the Suns shot over 50 percent of the pitch for the match.
Luka Doncic was at the helm of Mavericks, missing a triple-double with 45 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. He either scored or assisted on 23 of Mavericks’ 40 flights. This was his sixth playoff game with 40 points in his career.
Here are some key findings from the game:
1. The suns go wire to wire with efficiency like a machine
In the first three possessions of the game, the Suns received a mid-range jump from Chris Paul, a theft and a hit from Michal Bridges and an exclusion from Devin Booker. A few minutes later, Jae Crowder hit a 3-pointer at pick-and-pop and suddenly became 9-0.
The Suns would retain that lead until the end of the match. Although their defense is often praised for good reason, it was their offensive machine efficiency that proved to be the difference. There were several stretches in which the Mavericks heated up by 3 points and Luka Doncic went bankrupt, but none of that mattered because the Suns got what they wanted at the end of the offensive.
This was a classic performance for the Suns: 50.5 percent off the field; 39.3 percent of 3-point land; none over 25 points, but seven different players with at least nine; only nine revolutions as a team. The Suns obviously have a bunch of great players, but it’s not some great team of all time that exceeds your talents. Rather, they stick to their system, play within their roles, and simply do not give up.
2. Ayton makes Mavericks pay
It took Deandre Ayton more than four minutes to get his first basket – one and one pick-up from Devin Booker’s pick-and-roll feed – but once he got on the board, he couldn’t be stopped. He finished with 25 points and eight rebounds in 12 of 20 from the field in one of his best performances of the postseason.
Ever since they exchanged Christaps Porzingis, the Mavericks have turned to the extreme approach with a small ball. As a result, they are super hard to keep, but they also give up a lot of size on the other side, and Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber are at a huge disadvantage against centers like Ayton, who can actually score the ball.
Ayton made three shots and was 9 out of 15 in the fight. Even when he didn’t get the best position or passed slightly incorrectly, he could just stand up and shoot over the smaller Mavericks defenders. Judging by Game 1, Ayton will be a huge problem in this series and it does not seem that the Mavericks have many opportunities to slow it down.
3. Doncic’s brilliance is not enough
Stretching the calves did not allow Luka Doncic to participate in the first three games of the postseason and even now he does not seem to be 100 percent. But even the stiff Doncic is better than most players in the league, as he proved once again with a great performance in Match 1.
Doncic was the only one to score early, scoring 14 of Mavericks’ 25 points in the first quarter. Despite his hot start, they were 10 behind on the first break. This turned out to be the theme of the game, as the Slovenian’s solo act turned out to be short.
He finished with 45 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists in 15 of 30 from the field in more than 44 minutes, recording his sixth career game with 40 points in the playoffs. No one else in NBA history had such games before he turned 24. He either scored or assisted on 23 of Mavericks’ 37 goals (62.1 per cent) while on the floor.
Even admitting that Doncic received a bunch of points towards the end of the game in a failed return attempt, it’s probably not a great sign that he almost made a triple-double of 40 points and the Mavericks were easily outplayed. Either he will have to put together four superhuman performances, or someone else from the Mavs will have to step up to win this series.
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