Finney-Smith's Career-High Shooting Leads Mavs Past Suns in Game 4 Win
After winning Game 3 in convincing fashion in their Western Conference semifinals series against the Phoenix Suns on Friday night, the Dallas Mavericks hoped to replicate that effort in a crucial Game 4 on Sunday.
The Mavs did just that, as they rode a blistering shooting night from Dorian Finney-Smith en route to a 111-101 win to tie the series at 2-2. Although it wasn't quite the "Mother's Day Massacre" the American Airlines Center crowd witnessed in 2011 when the Mavs swept Kobe Bryant and the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, there were shades of that game in the first half, as Dallas nailed 14 3-pointers.
The series will now shift back to Phoenix for a pivotal Game 5, and there will be a Game 6 back in Dallas regardless.
Finney-Smith finished with 24 points on 8-12 from deep, which was a career-high for him. Every time it felt like the Suns were about to make a run, Finney-Smith hit a huge shot to keep the Suns at bay. He also grabbed eight rebounds and recorded one steal in his 38 minutes.
Luka Doncic led the Mavs with 26 points, seven rebounds, 11 assists and four steals in 37 minutes. He shot 9-25 from the field and 7-8 on free throws. Despite having a good overall stat line, Doncic struggled to find his touch from deep, as he only shot 1-10 on his 3s. The Mavs have to feel pretty good getting a double-digit win with Doncic shooting so poorly from deep.
Jalen Brunson, Davis Bertans, Maxi Kleber and Spencer Dinwiddie joined Doncic and Finney-Smith as Mavericks to score in double digits. Brunson finished with 18 points, four rebounds and four assists while shooting 7-17 from the field. Bertans did his best 2011 Peja Stojakovic impression by scoring 12 points on 4-5 shooting from deep.
Devin Booker was the game's highest scorer with 35 points on 10-22 shooting and 12-13 from the free-throw line. Booker also dished out seven assists in 43 minutes played.
At the end of the first half, with the Mavs already up by 10, Chris Paul went after an offensive rebound on his own miss and ended up collecting his fourth foul. That proved to be huge for the Mavs down the stretch, as Paul ended up fouling out with 8:58 remaining in the final period. He finished with just five points on 2-4 shooting.
Paul is known for drawing fouls in a manipulative fashion, but that came back to bite him in Game 4, as the officials weren't falling for it. Mavs coach Jason Kidd commented on the Mavs being able to get the benefit of the whistle.
"We're being taught by one of the best point guards ever on the other side," said Kidd, in a slight jab at Paul's antics. "That's pretty cool."
As the series shifts back to Phoenix, the odds are still against the Mavs, but they've captured the momentum by winning the last two games. Now, it's a three-game series, and anything can happen when you have the best player on the floor.
