Luka Doncic, fueled by Phoenix Suns trash talk, leads Dallas Mavericks to first knockout win of his career
DALLAS – Second within three properties, Dallas Mavericks Super star Luka Doncic Drive straight down the lane and finish with a two-handed hit.
Top Seeds Phoenix Suns, continued 20 points into the middle of Thursday’s third quarter of Game 6, known as the timeout, giving Doncic a chance to extend his post-fall celebration beyond the flex and growl he he did after a few shots in the 113-86 Mavs series. at the American Aviation Center. Doncic stepped out onto the pitch halfway, nodding aggressively and shouting toward the Suns bench.
It’s a bit of a payback after Doncic had to listen to the Sun’s bark while blowing up Mavs in Game 5. A pretty fun series though without any close gameplay going to be decided in Game 5. Play 7 on Sunday back at the Footprint Center in the Phoenix.
“I like it when people talk to me,” said Doncic after a performance of 33 points, 11 bounces, eight assists, four steals. “It helped me out. It was fun.”
It was the first time in the 23-year-old Doncic’s NBA career that the Mavs won a game while being eliminated. But Doncic shined brightly in every chance he got on that stage despite losing LA Clippers the previous two postseasons, averaging 39 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists in three wins or the first leg at home.
According to research by ESPN Stats & Information, Doncic’s scoring average is the highest of any player in NBA history for games his team has faced disqualification.
“It’s the kind of word you guys use, I guess, but it’s just another game for us on this journey, and our journey is to win championships,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. . “Sometimes it ends early, sometimes you can play until June. I think he’s just enjoying the moment. He’s not afraid of the stage.”
Doncic is more productive than Phoenix’s All-Star bodyguards Devin Booker (19 points, 3 assists) and Chris Paul (13 points, 4 assists) add up. The Suns ended a season with a low score and a season with a high number of views (22) while scoring only 39.7% of the floor score.
“We keep putting pressure on,” said the Mavs defender Jalen Brunson, who had 18 points and three steals. “Now it’s over, and now we have to figure out how we’re going to win in Phoenix.”
Booker and Paul, in particular, were unusually sloppy, combining for eight turns. This is the second time in this streak that Paul has scored more goals than assists – the first time in his career that has come in just one season after season, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.
Phoenix coach Monty Williams says he doesn’t think the Sun “understands the desperation of [Mavs] will play with “, a factor that is dominated by a 29-6 margin of points in the number of turns.
“It has to be a thing together, where everyone is on the same page,” the center said Deanre Ayton, who led the Suns with 21 points and 11 rebounds. “And it wasn’t like that tonight. There were a lot of mistakes. It was like a regular season game, the amount of mistakes we made today. It’s unacceptable.
Doncic specifically imposed his will on the Sun, following on from his post-Game 5 promise to attack paint more. Fourteen of his 26 scoring attempts have come in the highlands, including eight of his 13 shots in the penalty area.
“He’s a tough player. He’s a great player,” said the Dallas forward Reggie Bullock, who was Booker’s main defender and scored 19 points. “I laughed at that when they tried to protect him. They would do the same thing to him – bring him up in every pick up and roll – but when he gets the switch, it’s one each time. bucket. I don’t know about the switch with him [on defense] to get one crate each time. I just know that we will support him. That’s our teammates. He will hold us back in attack and give us his best in defense. “
Doncic has posted a line of historical stats in his lone Game 7 so far in his career. He had 46 points and 14 assists against the Clippers – making 77 points, the most of all time in Game 7, according to research by the Elias Sports Bureau – but the Mavs still lost.
“I don’t care about the stats as long as we win,” said Doncic. “If we win, I’m good. The stats don’t really matter to me, but if we win, that would be great. I think we won this game on defence, and We have another match.”
This will be the first Game 7 of Booker’s career. Paul suffered 3-4 in the 7th game he played, including his team’s 2-2 at home.
“I feel like we worked as hard as we did throughout the season to get home,” Paul said. “Just because you have home doesn’t guarantee you’ll win the game, but we’d rather play at home than play here.
“Been in. Seen. The best thing about all of these playoff games is that you don’t have a 20-point lead in the game. Each game is its own personality, and now it’s just that. a game, Game 7.”
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin contributed to this report.
