Kevin Durant, Devin Booker Lead Suns to Heated Win Against Mavs
DALLAS — In the first matchup between Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant since the two superstars were traded from the Brooklyn Nets, it was the Phoenix Suns (36-29) that came out on top against the Dallas Mavericks (33-32), winning the game with 130-126 as the final score.
Shortly after the start of the game, the Suns took a 13-7 lead at the 8:22 mark of the opening period. A scorching hot first half from Tim Hardaway Jr. propelled Dallas to score 37 points in the second period, proving pivotal in establishing a 62-59 lead.
A common formula to the Mavs' postseason successes was their reliance on 3-point shooting. The game-to-game results proved to be highly volatile given the nature of perimeter shooting. It went in Dallas' favor in the opening half as they shot 10-22 (45.5 percent) compared to the Suns at 4-16 (25.0 percent) on their attempts.
Kevin Durant and Devin Booker often got into the paint to make plays on pull-ups, or at the rim. Durant finished the opening half scoring 16 points, while Booker led Phoenix with 17. Too often, the Mavs' point of attack defenders proved unable to contain bigger matchups, rim protection underwhelmed, and overall, there was 30 points scored in the paint by Phoenix to this point.
A common defensive strategy the Mavs deployed was to sag off Josh Okogie when he was attempting to space the floor. He shot 0-8 from the perimeter, with Dallas making it a point to make him best them as opposed to the opposing stars. Going with Ish Wainright in the second half, who shot 4-5 from 3, proved to be a difference making decision to make the Mavs pay for loading up on Booker and Durant.
Particularly in the third quarter, Doncic and Irving showed consistent ability to score timely buckets, often by attacking for finishes and short-range looks. After Irving went to the bench, the Mavs saw an eight point lead turn into the deficit as the Suns pulled ahead 94-93 with under a minute remaining in the third quarter.
The Mavs had struggled in recent games with allowing significant runs at the start of fourth quarters when Doncic is on the sidelines. Wood set the tone for Dallas to avoid that outcome, scoring 10 points while Doncic was on the bench in the final period. It was a tightly contested matchup for the remainder of regulation.
Both teams traded clutch baskets down the stretch. First, Deandre Ayton cleaned up a missed layup with a putback to give the Suns a two-point lead. Doncic connected with Dwight Powell for an alley-oop finish to tie. Durant answered back with a pull-up jumper on a drive to regain the narrow lead.
With the Mavs trailing 128-126 on their final possession with 12.1 seconds remaining in regulation, Doncic drove the lane and had a finish attempt roll out. Booker and Doncic exchanged words at center court shortly after. Durant hauled in the rebound and Doncic intentionally fouled. Durant made both free throws to put the Suns up four to seal the victory.
Durant led all scorers with 37 points, while Booker wasn't far behind with 36. There were four total scorers with at least 30 points as Doncic (34) and Irving (30) both met the mark. It was a matchup that clearly would rely on offensive firepower as both teams parted with key defensive pieces in their respective midseason blockbuster trade.
The Mavs end their six-game homestand with a matchup against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.
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