Despite the national media repeatedly saying the Phoenix Suns were going to sweep the Dallas Mavericks in this best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals series, the team from North Texas kept shaking their head and overcoming the odds.
As if to put the rest of the NBA on notice, the Mavs played Friday night with a sense of true grit and urgency that led them to an aggressive 103-94 triumph over the Suns at American Airlines Center.
The Mavs’ win leaves the Suns with a 2-1 lead in this series that resumes Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at AAC. Game 5 will be Tuesday at 9 p.m. in Phoenix.
Jalen Brunson played like a man possessed, and Luka Doncic churned out some more powerful numbers as the Mavs held serve in a series that has been won only by the home team. Brunson tossed in 10 points in the first quarter and added 10 more in the third quarter as the Mavs led by as many as 18 points to snap their 11-game losing streak to the Suns.
“I thought we were playing super fast,” coach Jason Kidd said. “We were just trying to play at our pace.
“We wanted to exploit, we wanted to attack early in the shot clock as we talked about the first two games we were getting shots deep into the clock. We felt that we needed to be a little bit more aggressive early in that clock.”
Brunson certainly was aggressive and back to his old self. After scoring 22 points and going 9-of-28 from the field in the first two games of this series, Brunson countered with a game-high 28 points on 10-of-21 shots in Game 3. It was as though Brunson heard the criticism from the folks on the streets, and he wanted to make sure he silenced those critics.
“I pushed the pace a little bit,” Brunson said. “At the end, we got to our stuff quicker.
“We just played together and I think our coaching staff did a great job of putting us in a position to where we could be successful, and we were able to execute.”
Execution was the buzz word of the day for the Mavs as they were solid on offense and defense throughout the game and became the first team to hold the Suns under 50 percent shooting in nine post season games. The Suns shot 44.7 percent from the field and appeared annoyed by the way the Mavs defended them as the sellout crowd of 20,777 were rowdy, proud and loud.
“It gives us a big boost,” said center Maxi Kleber, who scored 14 points on 6-of-9 shots. “Big shout out to the fans here. They were incredible — super loud.
“That’s exactly what we needed coming here (down) 0-2 and having the crowd on our side. I think it helped us to play from the jump with the right energy and physicality that we wanted to do.”
When Brunson wasn’t showing the side of him that was so incredibly productive in the first-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz, he was playing Friday like he was the best player on the court. So many times when the Mavs needed a critical basket, Brunson was the player who provided them with that critical basket.
“I just want him to be aggressive,” Kidd said. “We talked before the game (and I said) just be yourself. I thought this was the first time he was aggressive. He didn’t wait. He wasn’t surveying.”
Brunson was — in a few words — rocking and rolling and leaving defenders in a cloud of dust. It was a complete 180 degrees from what transpired with Brunson during the first two games of this series,
“I thought we were playing super fast,’ Kidd said. “We were just trying to play at our pace.
“We wanted to exploit, we wanted to attack early in the shot clock as we talked about the first two games we were getting shots deep into the clock. We felt that we needed to be a little bit more aggressive early in that clock.”
That aggressiveness by the Mavs netted them a 29-20 lead after the first quarter, a 51-44 lead at intermission, and a 69-51 lead with 6:59 remaining in a third quarter that ended with the Mavs ahead, 82-67.
“The energy and execution was better,” said Doncic, who pumped out 26 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists while in constant foul trouble. “And that’s what we’ve got to do every day.
“I think we made a big jump in defense this year. And the second half was horrible by me, and I think I had to get with my teammates and play better defense.”
The Mavs’ role players also stepped up and were counted. In addition to Brunson and Kleber, the Mavs got 15 points from Reggie Bullock and 14 from Dorian Finney-Smith. It was a just what the doctor ordered kind of game from the Mavs, who knew they couldn’t afford to go down 0-3 in this series.
“There’s no reason to press,” Kidd said. “The talent level has gotten better.
“Any time you make it to another stage it gets harder, and it’s supposed to be hard. But if you can embrace that and take the shots that you normally do, you’re going to be fine.”
The Mavs certainly embraced the moment and led b y as many as 18 points – 69-51 – with 6:59 left in the third quarter when Doncic dropped in a three-pointer. And even when Doncic had to go to the bench with five fouls with 8:07 remaining in the game and the Mavs holding a 90-73 lead, the Suns were only able to chop the deficit down to 95-84 before Doncic returned with 4:39 left.
Indeed, the Mavs were in control for the majority of the game. Even when Mikal Bridges sliced the Mavs’ lead down to 99-91 on a hoop with 1:09 remaining, the outcome wasn’t in doubt after Reggie Bullock buried a three-pointer to give the Mavs a 102-91 lead with just 55.9 seconds to go.
Afterward, Kidd discussed the players who joined the party after Doncic outscored the Mavs’ starters in the first two games, 80-70.
“I thought it was a great team win,” Kidd said. “JB, Spencer (Dinwiddie), Maxi, Luka, Reggie, Doe (Dorian Finney-Smith) all got invited to the party and they helped out on both ends.
“And then Luka was great defensively. He participated too. It puts us in a different position when that happens.”
In the meantime, Chris Paul was bumbling and stumbling and fumbling and bouncing around like this was his first playoff game. A perfectionist by nature when it comes to protecting the ball, Paul uncharacteristically turned the ball over seven times, which is one shy of his career postseason high.
“Happy Birthday, CP,” Kidd said. “When you look at Chris, he’s a competitor. His basketball IQ is off the charts.
“He’s changed his diet to be vegan. But he understands at this point in his career what’s at stake, and that’s winning the championship and that’s what’s he’s playing for.”
Maybe, but the Mavs made sure Paul – he turned 37 Friday – wasn’t going to be able to celebrate his birthday in style. In the end, Paul scored 12 points and appeared confused y the Mavs’ aggressive defense.
“We were active, our hands were active (and) we got deflections that led to steals,” Kidd said. “There was a carryover from Game 2 in those first three quarters. And we played 48 minutes tonight. It’s a great win, but now this game is over and now it’s a quick turnaround here for Sunday.”
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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