Jason Kidd says the Mavericks need players beyond Luka Doncic to step up with Dallas in the 2-0 hole against the Phoenix Suns
PHOENIX — Dallas Mavericks Coach Jason Kidd delivered a similar message after both games so far in the Western Conference semifinals: Luka Doncic need more help to fight the top seeds Phoenix Suns.
Dallas squandered another brilliant offensive performance from Doncic in Game 2 on Wednesday, when he scored 35 points on a 13/12 shootout in a 129-109 loss with the Suns leading 2-0. The Suns continuously aimed to defend Doncic while burning Mavs with 71 points in the second half.
“He had a great game, but no one else showed,” Kidd said. “We have to make others shoot better. We can’t win with him scoring 30 goals a night – not at this time of year. And we’re playing with the best team. tournament, so we have to call on the others to join.”
Kidd specifically mentioned that Mavs need more production from the guards Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie, who combined just 41 points with 32.6% shot in two losses at the Footprint Center. It’s the complete opposite of the previous series for Brunson, who starred in the first-round win first Utah Jazzaveraged 27.8 points over a six-game streak.
Chris Paul and Devin Booker, the All-Star guardian of the Sun, dominated Wednesday night in part by hunting Doncic relentlessly. That was especially the case in the second half, when Booker scored 21 of his 30 and Paul scored 20 of his 28.
Booker said of Doncic: “Tough game to defend, but he’s going to have to watch out a bit.”
According to Second Spectrum tracker, Doncic was the defender with 19 tackles in the second half, the third most in any half of his career. The Suns average 1.81 points each time they get those balls. That is the highest allowable performance of a defender who has participated in at least 15 direct hits in the past three seasons.
“I just have to play better defensively,” said Doncic. “That’s it.”
The Suns blew up the game in the first five minutes of the fourth, extending the gap from six to 15 as Paul took over the game, bursting with 14 points and two assists during that period. Paul tapped Doncic on the switches for a pair of layups and a pull jumper, as well as finding Cameron Johnson for pointer 3, in the running time 21-7 decide the game.
Kidd talks about the Suns targeting Doncic. “They’re putting him in everything. We knew that in the series. We knew it in the previous series. We did a better job of protecting each other, not just Luka. We were. had to go back and protect one man for another game for Game 3 at home.”
It was an effective offensive performance in the history of Booker, Paul and the Suns. Phoenix set a franchise playoff record by shooting 64.5% from the floor, including 84.2% in the fourth quarter. The sun has a real photographic rate of 75.7%. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, ranked second all time in a knockout game, just behind LA Clippers‘77.8% in game 5 won against the Mavericks in the first round of 2020.
Paul, who also had eight assists, was particularly brilliant. He beat 11/16 goals, including 9/10 goals in the second half. Booker took 11-19 from the floor and 5/8 from about 3, with all of his three coming after halftime.
“When you look at CP and Book, they took turns,” Kidd said. “One person took the third quadrant, the next took the fourth quadrant, and we didn’t have the answers. … They got the shots they wanted. CP has hit its spot. and he did the layups and did the shots. Book did the 3 seconds. They were really good. They understood the situation. They saw it all. We just had to get better.”
The Mavs, who are playing in the second round for the first time since the franchise’s 2011 championship, will be looking for solutions when they fly home to Dallas on Thursday.
“A lot of players, this is the first time in this situation,” said Doncic. “We believe, man. They have to win four, so it’s not over yet.”
