Phenomenal solo from Luka but Chris Paul and his buddies team up more and control for 40 minutes before a verifiable finale. Race-2 is Wednesday, also in Phoenix
Even greats like Luka Doncic can’t beat big teams like the Phoenix Suns alone. The Slovenian invents a show game in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals, 45 points serving Dallas to stay in the game rather than try to win it. Because Phoenix are an incredible team with 6 double figures controlling for 40 minutes and winning the finals 121-114 after also being at +21. “We trust each other, we’re cautious on defense and we follow our leaders Chris Paul and Devin Booker – explains DeAndre Ayton, who is crushing with 25 points under the basket -. But let’s not get too carried away: take this win and think about Race 2”. The 8-foot finals, in which the Mavs fell below -21, fueled by their phenomenon, are the perfect reminder that it was only Game-1 of a promising series. Race-2 is Wednesday, also in Phoenix.
GROUP
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The Suns won as a team. With the defense that let Doncic let off steam and control everyone else (“Every time you see an opponent score 45 points against you, you’re not happy, but then I see we only gave 16 crucial passes and that means that none of the others played at their usual level,” explains coach Williams) and with the attack perfectly controlled by Paul (19 points and 3 assists) and especially Booker (23 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists) after the injury returned to full power. Crucial minutes for Cam Johnson, who refines his playoff maximum to 17 points, and JaVale McGee, who despite boxing a 4-point score in 14 minutes, deserves the coach’s praise. Phoenix shot more than 7% from field for the seventh consecutive year and dominated the rebound 50-51 while Ayton posed a puzzle the Dallas defense almost never solved. But those rounds of 16 made Coach Williams think: “These minutes remind us that we can be better, that we can’t afford a break against a team like that.”
JUST
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Dallas lost because he left Doncic alone. The Slovenian in attack was phenomenal, good at finding a rhythm and trying to get his teammates involved and untamed for the opposing defence. “Luka did what he wanted – confirmed coach Kidd -. He played very well and tried to involve his teammates, but we have to get better as a team.” After the count, the only one who really gave him a hand was Maxi Kleber, the German, who was born in the same country as Dirk Nowitzki and grew up, who finished with 19 points and 5 three-pointers. Disastrous Jalen Brunson (13 points on 6/16 shooting), out of phase with first-half misses and second-half misses, Spencer Dinwiddie also injured (8 points and 4 assists) in 30 minutes. In the end, encouraging flashes from Dorian Finney-Smith, who finished with 15 points and 6 rebounds but could never make a difference on defense. Dallas has to start from the round of 16 and think about Race 8 how he reacted after a bad start. “I’m sure we’ll recover, we’ve done that all year,” said Coach Kidd confidently.
THE GAME
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Phoenix at +15 (22-7) after 7 minutes, but Doncic’s show (14 points in the first quarter) and Kleber’s hat-tricks keep Dallas in the game. The Mavs went down 51-47 in the second quarter, but the Suns with Ayton (10 points in the period) made it 69-56 at the break. In the second half, when the Phoenix defense finds a way to stop Luka and also the Dallas triples (3/10 after 9/21 of the first half), the game breaks: the Suns go 93-75 with a Payne hat-trick 3′ 18″ from the third siren, then McGee crushes 106-85 at 8’49” on the clock. With the game now in jeopardy, Dallas, under pressure from Doncic, reduces the downside by showing signs of recovery: They’ll come in handy for Game-2.
Phoenix: Ayton 25 (12/20 of two, 1/1 free throws), Booker 23, Paul 19. Rebounds: Booker 9. Assists: Booker 8.
Dallas: Doncic 45 (11., 19., 4. tl), Kleber 11, Finney-Smith 11. Rebounds: Doncic 14. Assist: Doncic 19.
