A month and a half ago, for their first game of the season, the Mavericks lost on the wire in Phoenix after counting up to 22 points in advance! This time, they did not shake, and after breaking in the first quarter, they held on until the end to win 130-111 against the Suns.
It’s Josh Green who will make the difference in the first quarter. After a round of observation (11-11), the Australian comes out of his box to take advantage of Doncic’s caviars, and the Mavericks end the quarter on a… 22-4! Christian Wood takes over while Green continues his festival. The gap stabilized around 20 points, and Luka Doncic took charge at the end of the first half to increase the gap to +26 (67-41).
After a slight awakening of the Suns to attack the 3rd quarter, the second half will be one-sided, so much so that neither Luka Doncic nor Devin Booker will play from the 4th quarter. Upon arrival, Dallas won by 19 points, and went into the positive with 12 wins for 11 losses.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
The end of the Indian sign. If the Mavericks had eliminated the Suns during the last playoffs, on the other hand, they remained on ten defeats in a row in the regular season! The latest had been traumatic with a 22-point lead wasted, and a missed buzzer shot from Luka Doncic.
Devin Booker choked. While playing his best career basketball, Devin Booker had a very complicated evening with a small 4 out of 13 on shots. Blame it on the Mavericks’ incessant two-man battle with Dorian Finney-Smith as their first bodyguard. The Mavericks isolated Devin Booker, unable to take a shot or serve his teammates. The absence of a second creator weighed on the Suns, and to make matters worse, the back hurt his ankle…
TOPS/FLOPS
✅Luka Doncic. A match of rare sobriety, and yet it still blackens the sheet. He did not try to do too much, and yet he finished with 33 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds and even 2 blocks. His first quarter is remarkable for putting his team on the right track.
✅ Josh Green. It’s the X factor of the evening. As soon as he comes into play, he makes the difference, whether through his runs, his drives, and even his 3-point skill. He also created for others. A full game.
✅ Deandre Ayton. By the end of the first quarter, on his own, he had scored more baskets than all his teammates combined… He finished with 20 points at 9 of 11 on shots, and despite his dominance, his teammates did not succeed to serve him well.
⛔Ish Wainright. By his physique, he reminds Grant Williams or PJ Tucker, but he does not have the qualities of a defender, nor the volume of play. Established in place of Dario Saric, he was often late, especially on the defensive withdrawal and on aid. Monty Williams took a long time to realize that he was not the man for the job.
THE FOLLOWING
Dallas (12-11) : back-to-back in Denver to end a series of 7 matches in 11 days!
Phoenix (16-8) : Wednesday reception of the Celtics for the shock of the leaders.
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