Suns vs Mavericks

Despite a big night from Luka Doncic, Phoenix uses its guard depth and the play of center Deandre Ayton to build a 1-0 lead in the West semifinals.

Of course, Phoenix coach Monty Williams wasn’t happy with Doncic hitting the Suns for 45 points. Doncic still managed to fire up a game-high 11 3-point attempts as the Mavericks attempted 39 of them overall. Kidd is correct, considering the other Mavericks starters not named “Doncic” combined to score just 39 points. For the most part, Phoenix excelled at staying in front of Doncic and the rest of Dallas’ playmakers. It’s clear Phoenix understands just how easily Doncic can make a defense start scrambling, and the Suns want no parts of that. Doncic managed to rack up 14 points in the first frame. Whenever Doncic and Maxi Kleber were both in the game, the Suns switched everything to keep the point guard from finding the power forward for open looks. Phoenix hardly ever ran extra defenders at Doncic to make him give up the ball. Kleber still hit 5 of 6 from deep in the first half for 16 points. Doncic became the youngest player since Kobe Bryant in 2001 to pour in 45 points with at least 10 rebounds in a playoff contest. He started off the night sizzling, hitting four of his first six shots. Cameron Johnson chipped in a playoff career-high 17 points, while veteran point guard Chris Paul simply blessed us with the best field goal percentage by a guard over any two-game playoff span (21-of-27 shooting over his last two games) in scoring his 19 points on 7 of 13 from the floor.

Your weekly Inside the Suns analysis straight from the BSotS community who live and breathe the team.

Rod: They can’t best the Suns with a small ball lineup as they did with the Jazz but I don’t doubt them trying it. But their primary goal initially is probably to do everything they can to stop CP3. He’s the one who is pretty healthy, and he’s the guy that runs this whole team. Rod: On offense, the Suns definitely need to feed Deandre Ayton the ball and attack the basket. Alex S: Mavs are going to try to throw everything at Booker and make the “others” beat them. On defense, the Suns are going to have to play great perimeter D. Dallas leads everybody in three-point attempts (41.6 per game) and hits a very respectable 37.1% from downtown. he does like the playoffs, and seems to usually turn it on a bit more in them. With the Pels, the Suns seemed to think they could “flip the switch” and get wins when ever they wanted. GuarGuar: I think Dallas is really going to try and get us in foul trouble. The other guys are going to need to step up in the early games of the series against the Mavs. And that’s a tall ask given that Mikal is going to have all he can handle on the defensive side with Luka. I really hope Ayton steps up. Sun-Arc: Lots to unpack with this next series- but if I have to focus on one area it would be: Energy. The Suns won the most games in the regular season because they outworked everyone else in 78% of their games. My hope is Book looks to be 80%+ by game 1 and can take on more workload as the series progresses. The Suns are off to a 1-0 series lead following a solid performance in game one by their starters and key bench players.

The Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns face off on Wednesday in Phoenix in Game 2 of their NBA Playoffs series.

Warriors vs. Mavs vs. Celtics vs. Warriors vs. Mavs vs. Celtics vs. - 76ers vs. - 76ers vs. Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. NBA Finals MVP NBA Championship Jason Radowitz writes: "What was most obvious in the first game is Dallas' inability to defend inside the arc.

SportsLine's model simulated Game 1 of Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals.

Mavs? And which side of the spread hits more than 60 percent of the time? The model also says one side of the spread hits over 60 percent of the time. Playoff experience becomes an even bigger factor in the latter rounds of the postseason, which bodes well for Phoenix on Monday night. Before locking in any Mavericks vs. Suns picks, be sure to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model. Dallas and Phoenix will both be hoping that their young superstars can stay healthy heading into the opening game of their Western Conference semifinal matchup on Monday in the 2022 NBA playoffs.

For a few, brief moments in the first round, the Phoenix Suns looked vulnerable. When Devin Booker was injured, the 64-18 Suns were pushed to the limit by ...

The ones that allowed the Suns to dominate the bulk of the night? As well as Doncic has always played in the playoffs, a healthy Booker makes this a mismatch. The Suns may be the NBA's best team, but Doncic, in a playoff setting, could easily be its best player. If the Mavericks continue to do so in this series, Ayton is going to continue punishing them for it, and with restricted free agency coming up this summer, the timing for him couldn't be better. For a few, brief moments in the first round, the Phoenix Suns looked vulnerable. The Suns looked mortal.

The best team in the league couldn't keep Luka Doncic from going off for 45 points in Game 1. The question, though, is which Dallas Mavericks players will ...

If Dallas can rebound and get the 1-1 split in Phoenix – which is the main goal of any team without home-court advantage in the playoffs – it will be in good shape as the series shifts to American Airlines Center for Games 3 and 4 over the weekend. Utah, and now it's looking like he could be in for more of the same vs. Maxi Kleber and Dorian Finney-Smith "joined the party" to an extent in Game 1 by scoring 19 and 15 points, respectively, but that scoring was uneven throughout the game. One player that simply not be capable of joining the party this series is Dwight Powell. He barely played in the first-round series vs. Dinwiddie must step up his aggression in Game 2 and try to take advantage of this. ... Communication is going to be key the next game."

The NBA Playoff series between the Suns and Mavericks will feature some of the most talented perimeter players in the league. Phoenix guard Chris Paul was ...

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Rundown of biggest storyline, key matchup, team stats, who could emerge as the Suns' X-factor, and injury report for Monday's Game 1 in Phoenix.

Also, the Suns will have to worry about Dallas' small ball schemes on both ends of the floor and defending the perimeter. But Game 1 in the West semifinals could be Dallas' moment of redemption to curb Phoenix fans from screaming "Suns in 4!" The young man does not back down from a matchup." Storyline: The Mavericks have yet to beat the Suns this season. You find me an elite scorer who plays defense like him," Suns coach Monty Williams said about Booker at their practice on Sunday. "Just find one. So we just gotta be ready to move our feet without fouling." Brunson's production spiked during Doncic's absence and after he came back, and he's seventh in scoring. - Will Chris Paul need to save the Suns in the fourth quarters this series like he did in Games 1, 3, and 6 against the Pelicans? - Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith (11.0 points per game in the regular season, 13.2 during the playoffs, 39.5% from the perimeter in the regular season and this postseason). He's increased his scoring and 3-point FG% averages in every season to begin his career, becoming the first player in NBA history to increase his ppg and 3FG% in every season over a five-year stretch. "A lot of small ball going on. - Mavericks and Suns are squaring off in the postseason for the third time ever and the first since facing each other in consecutive years in 2005 and 2006. - Will Booker be back to form, scoring in the mid-20s like he did against the Pelicans before he suffered his hamstring injury in Game 2?

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic has a lot of respect for Phoenix Suns' Mikal Bridges, but is ready for the matchup.

With how the Mavericks like to use perimeter players as screeners to draw switches, the whole Suns' defense will be put to task, whether making the switch or in show and recover. Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson found ways to attack, but the whole Mavericks' offense including Spencer Dinwiddie was clearly uncomfortable attacking deep on a drive. Brunson has struggled at times against long defenders and perhaps Bridges could attempt to neutralize him by taking on that assignment. Given how important Doncic is to the Mavericks' offense, it is difficult to envision Bridges not guarding him primarily at some point. “But I think he’s smart on the defensive end. The NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award went to Marcus Smart this season, but Phoenix Suns' Mikal Bridges would have been a well-deserving recipient had he won it.

The Phoenix Suns vs. the Dallas Mavericks matchup for Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals is set. Here's how to watch and what to know.

The Dallas Mavericks dispatched the Utah Jazz 4-2 in the opening round after getting Luka Doncic back from a calf strain. As their reward, they advance to ...

I thought the Mavs were about to force a turnover on Booker near the baseline. Even acknowledging that Doncic got a bunch of points toward the end of the game in a failed comeback attempt, it's probably not a great sign that he nearly put up a 40-point triple-double and the Mavericks were easily outplayed. But nope, it's a foul, and Booker wants a review because Dinwiddie hit him in the eye He finished with 45 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists on 15 of 30 from the field in over 44 minutes, recording his sixth career 40-point game in the playoffs. A calf strain kept Luka Doncic out of the first three games of the postseason, and even now he does not seem to be at 100 percent. He either scored or assisted on 23 of the Mavericks' 37 made field goals (62.1 percent) while has on the floor. It took over four minutes for Deandre Ayton to get his first basket -- an and-one layup off a feed from Devin Booker in the pick-and-roll -- but once he got on the board he could not be stopped. There were a few stretches where the Mavericks got red-hot from 3-point land and Luka Doncic started going off, but none of it mattered because the Suns got whatever they wanted on the offensive end. Luka Doncic led the way for the Mavericks, falling just short of a triple-double with 45 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. This was a classic Suns performance: 50.5 percent from the field; 39.3 percent from 3-point land; no one over 25 points but seven different players with at least nine; just nine turnovers as a team. Deandre Ayton was terrific against the Mavericks' small frontcourt, finishing with 25 points and eight rebounds on 12 of 19 from the field, while Devin Booker went for 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Just 14 seconds into the game, Chris Paul hit a mid-range jumper to give the Suns a lead they would never surrender.

We go over some of the best betting options for Monday's Game 1 matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns.

When you combine that with Phoenix having the third best defense in shooting percentage and the potential limitations of Booker, the under is the play on Monday night. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER ( 1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA).21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Phoenix was without Devin Booker for three games of their Round 1 series, and Luka Doncic was unavailable for three games for Dallas. Both will be available Monday night. He returned from a hamstring injury for Game 6, but there were clear limitations. He will not be needed to score as much with Doncic back in the lineup, but Round 1 was a big series for him. Dallas has to be extremely confident going into their second-round series knowing they have a player in Jalen Brunson who proved he can carry the Mavericks when needed.

Luka Doncic scored 45 big points, but Suns held big lead all game long. The game was not as close as the final scores.

It looks to me, as a NON-expert on this stuff, that the Suns plan is a try to defend Luka with one guy and only a little bit of help. Paul and Booker straightened out the Suns a bit, pulling back to a 10-point lead, but Doncic was in total attack mode at this point. Chris Paul has only played 21 minutes in this one (12/4/3). The Cams have shot well in this one, with 22 points on 14 shots combined. But the back side defenders aren’t trusting it enough, and they’re sinking into the paint to try to help but ending up in no-mans land — not close enough to stop Luka without reaching in (foul) but too far away from the three-point shooter to contest. Dallas’ goal in this game is clearly to get side open back side threes and they’re getting them, but nothing else is quite working and the Suns offense is totally humming. The Mavs then turned to Maxi Kleber at center so they could spread the floor with their three playmakers and try to break down the Suns the way they broke the Jazz. It didn’t work. Luka grabs so much attention, the Suns defense is sinking too low to contest. By then, the Mavericks had used 9-17 three-point shooting to pull back to 51-47. At the end of one, the stars did their thing — Luka with 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and Booker with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Finally, on their third small-ball possession, the Mavs got a corner three from Kleber on a Doncic drive. Ayton scored on an and-one roll to the basket and it’s 12-4 Suns. In the final seconds, they got it down to 5.

The Dallas Mavericks (0-0) play against the Phoenix Suns (0-0) at Footprint Center Game Time: 10:00 PM EDT on Monday May 2, 2022 Dallas Mavericks 0, ...

– 10:08 PM Duane Rankin@ DuaneRankin @MichelobULTRA pic.twitter.com/qdKtIfMmTO– 5:25 PM Brad Townsend@ townbrad – –10:58 PM Phoenix Suns@ Suns The score isn’t. –10:15 PM Vivek Jacob@ vivekmjacob Quick first bucket for the Point God.pic.twitter.com/MfIBqgYHyD– 10:08 PM Duane Rankin@ DuaneRankin #Sunsin passing lanes. – 12:10 AM Gerald Bourguet@ GeraldBourguet Playoff career highs gotta be inbound in this series –11:29 PM Duane Rankin@ DuaneRankin –12:18 AM Phoenix Suns@ Suns The score isn’t. – –12:10 AM Duane Rankin@ DuaneRankin #Sunsoffense is in reverse right now. @ESPNStatsInfopic.twitter.com/lPhvd56EbT– 12:50 AM Tim MacMahon@ espn_macmahon