The Phoenix Suns came back with a dominant performance, winning Game 5 against the Dallas Mavericks. In the 110: 80 victory, all dams in the third quarter break.
After an even first half, the Suns finally got their muscles tensed after the break. Devin Booker was leading with 28 points (11/19 FG), support came from all sides. Chris Paul remained very unobtrusive as a goal scorer (7 points), but distributed 10 assists. Deandre Ayton had 20 points and 9 rebounds.
Luka Doncic was the top scorer for the Mavericks with 28 points (10/23) plus 10 rebounds. With the exception of Jalen Brunson (21, 9/16) he received little support, only Davis Bertans (10, 3/4 3FG) ended up on double digits. Maxi Kleber also remained below its potential (4, 1/5 FG, 6 rebounds).
The Mavs took their excellent shot from Game 4 and hit three of their first five three-pointers, Finney-Smith having two of them. Doncic in the post did it 15: 9, on the other hand, Booker took the matter into his own hands early as usual. The All-Star lowered a series of heavy midfield shots to 12 points in the first quarter, with Doncic at 11. 26:23 Dallas after 12 minutes.
Phoenix explodes in the third quarter
Even without Luka, Dallas had small advantages. Brunson scored several times in isolation, and Bertans also lowered two more threes. The 8-point lead melted quickly after some good shots were missed – Booker equalized with a thump. Ayton were now better in the game again, the Bridges intercepted a Doncic pass and gave the Suns their first lead since the start of the first quarter. They also took it with them during the break, 49:46 PHX.
Phoenix came out of the cabin as the fire department. Booker hit two threes, Ayton messed up under the basket – the lead quickly grew to 11 points, even a time-out gave no improvement. Dallas did not play offensively at all, Ayton made it 67:50 with a turnaround jumper, it turned into a 17: 0 race. Phoenix finally looked more like Phoenix again. Booker sank another three, at the end of the quarter Bridges Johnson served for alley-oop – Phoenix won the round by 33:14! 82:60.
Early in the final quarter, Bullock had to be replaced and sent to the locker room, but he reported back a little later. However, it was too late: Dallas’ offense was not good enough this time around to shorten the distance sufficiently. It was a terrible half in which the Mavs only scored 34 points in the last 24 minutes. 4:35 minutes before the end, Jason Kidd already took his starters off the field.
The most important statistic
Phoenix Suns (1) – Dallas Mavericks (4) 110: 80 (BOXSCORE), Series: 3-2
- Mavs started well from the center, but were not as strong in terms of efficiency or volume as they were in game 4. And they were not as superior in that respect – they had 6/16 triples at the break, Phoenix 4/14. After that, this category even tipped in favor of the Suns (12/32 to 8/32) – though Dallas will have to dominate here to beat the Suns.
- Phoenix sent significantly less help after the switch than in previous games, and especially invited Brunson and Doncic to isolate themselves. That led to some strong shots, but also to an overall very difficult throwing profile for Dallas. Very rarely could Mavs play open throws, almost everything was done. As a result, 27 field goals were preceded by only 9 assists, compared to 28 and 43 at the other end. The Suns’ mix seemed much “healthier,” especially since Dallas also added 16 turnovers.
- The Suns also managed to limit the Mavs’ shots on the basket. Dallas scored only 24 points in the paint, Phoenix at least 44. It’s not really their core competency either, Dallas should at least be level here as well.
- Phoenix also dominated the Possession Game. Because Dallas had significantly more revenue (16 to 12) and fewer rebounds (38 to 50), the Suns were able to throw 16 more times from the field overall than the Mavs. If you hit them even better, it becomes clear.
Suns vs. Mavs: The Voice of the Game
Devin Booker (Suns): “We study the film. Coach comes to us with adjustments, we implement them and follow them.”
Monty Williams (Coach Sun’s): “Defense today – that’s the backbone of our program.”
Luka Doncic (Mavericks): “The one thing we did not do well today was pace. The last two games our pace has been very good. This is one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. They kept us at 80 points. It’s pretty impressive. We need to move the ball and have a better pace, play faster. “
Game star: Devin Booker
As usual, set the tone early with his scoring, then Dagger followed Dagger in the third quarter. Meanwhile, Booker also acted as a quasi-point guard as Paul sat on the bench when Cameron Payne was not on the field, keeping the offensive going. Mikal Bridges also showed a strong two-way play (14, 7 rebounds, 4 steals).
Game flop: Spencer Dinwiddie
In principle, one could list here almost the entire supporting cast with the exception of Bertans. But Dinwiddie has not seen much in the entire series – nothing at all in this game (2 points, 0/3 FG, 3 turnovers). When the Suns are so good at stopping ball movements, his creative abilities are actually all the more important.
Game scene
Bridges and Brunson know each other from college – no wonder the noble defender is good at reading his old friend. As in that scene at the end of the third quarter, as he fished Brunson’s passport out of thin air, dribbled forward and served the alley-oop to Johnson. That’s how it went pretty much throughout the neighborhood.
NBA Playoffs: Suns vs. Mavs – Series overview
| Game | date | time | home | gone | result |
| 1 | May 3 | 4 o’clock | Phoenix Suns | Dallas Mavericks | 121: 114 |
| 2 | May 5 | 4 o’clock | Phoenix Suns | Dallas Mavericks | 129: 109 |
| 3 | May 7 | 03:30 | Dallas Mavericks | Phoenix Suns | 103: 94 |
| 4 | May 8th | 21.30 | Dallas Mavericks | Phoenix Suns | 111: 101 |
| 5 | May 11 | 4 o’clock | Phoenix Suns | Dallas Mavericks | 110: 80 |
| 6 | May 13 | 03:30 | Dallas Mavericks | Phoenix Suns | – |
| 7 * | May 16 | TBD | Phoenix Suns | Dallas Mavericks | – |
*If necessary