Unos Dallas Mavericks led by Slovenian Luka Doncicbut playing more blended than usual, they ate this Monday the leaders of the Western Conference, the Suns, whose star, Devin Bookerhad a modest performance (130-111).
Doncic got 33 points6 rebounds, 8 assists, a steal and 2 blocks; Spencer Dinwiddie he had 21 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, one steal and one block; Y Christian Wood he had 18 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and a block.
Also for the locals Tim Hardaway Jr. add 17 points and Josh Green 16.
For the visitors, the Bahamian pivot Deandre Ayton he scored 20 goals, 8 rebounds, one assist and 3 blocks; Y Cameron Payne he achieved the double double of 14 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists. Mikal Bridges, Damion Lee y Landry Shamet each contributed 13 points. Booker added 11 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists.
The Suns (16-8) entered the game in the first position of the Western Conference after winning 8 of their 10 previous games, while the Mavericks (12-11), tenth in the same table, had lost 6 of their 10 meetings. previous.
The Phoenix men have been consistently superior to the Dallas men in regular games over the past three seasons, but last season the Mavericks surprisingly knocked out the Suns in the conference semifinals.
The two teams met in the first game for both of this season with a hard-fought victory for the Suns (105-107), who still came thirsty for revenge on Monday. to the American Airlines Center in Dallas after his last elimination.
The star scout of the Suns Chris Paul He played his 14th game without playing on Monday due to an ankle injury. In addition to Paul y Torrey Craigthe visitors could not count on either Cameron Johnson, Duane Washington Jr. y Jae Crowder. Those in Dallas did not have available to Tyler Dorsey y McKinley Wright IV.
HIGHLIGHTS GREEN
Midway through the first quarter, a three-pointer from Ish Wainright tied the score at 11but another shot from distance by Hardaway Jr, several consecutive baskets by Australian Green of 1, 2 and 3 points, and a triple by Doncic, who leads the NBA scoring list with an average of 33.4 points per game, they increased the advantage to the locals (25-13).
Green, on a run reaching his 10 points despite coming off the bench, hung from the rim alone, and Doncic, adding 13 points in the first segment and feeling better accompanied than in previous gamesthey left the score at the end of the opening quarter at 33-15.
Two hits by forward Christian Wood increased the advantage of the locals at the beginning of the second quarter (37-15), when the star of the visitors, guard Devin Booker, had not scored a single point, although he had achieved 3 assists and a defensive rebound.
In the middle of the second half, the locals knew how to maintain the gap on the scoreboard and Green, who averages 6.8 points per game, reached his 14 goals (48-27).
Ayton, who tonight ended an 11-game streak getting a double-double, dunked again and Booker debuted with a triple that Doncic immediately answered with another long shot, who made his third triple of the game shortly after.
DONCIC DOES NOT PLAY ALONE
Thanks to two consecutive triples by Hardaway Jr, the fourth of 3 by Doncic and the close and unusually distributed game of the Texans, the locals reached the break with a considerable advantage (67-41).
Five assists and 8 points from guard Cameron Payne, Ayton’s 20 so farand Booker, who seemed to wake up briefly, served to control the damage and prevent the advantage of the locals from becoming catastrophic for the visitors in the middle of the third quarter (79-62).
Green showed off again, getting a rebound that turned into a spectacular tackle to the last ring with a hook from behind, while Doncic, overcoming the aggressive defense of the Sunsreached his 33 points to leave the light at the end of the third segment at 96-75.
In the last set, all the Texans wanted to score, with the German Maxi Kebler, Wood y Dinwiddie especially inspired by defending the sizable home advantage and with Doncic allowing himself to rest for most of the final quarter.
Both teams used players from the bench in the last minutes of a game that the locals dominated from start to finish (130-111).
