Mavs-Suns Game 1 Donuts: Dallas Burned By Slow Start in 121-114 Loss
It started 9-0. Pushed to 20-6. Grew to 106-85. Ended 121-114. The Dallas Mavericks never led, rallied too-little-too-late and, honestly, just weren't good enough in any phase to threaten the NBA's best team in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.
DONUT 1: BACKCOURT BUMMER - So productive and fun to watch in the first round against the Utah Jazz, Mavs' guards Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie were a mess Monday night. They each missed a wide-open layup while the game was still semi-competitive and finished a combined 21 points of nine-of-24 shooting.
DONUT 2: FAILING FORMULA - The Suns didn't have a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals last year and own the NBA's best record this year by accident. They're fast. They're long. They're versatile. They're good. Dallas has now lost 10 consecutive to Phoenix and that streak will grow to 11 in Wednesday night's Game 2 if it simply doesn't play better. The Mavs were out-rebounded by 15, missed seven free throws, suffered from five Luka Doncic turnovers and coughed up 121 points, their most allowed since 135 at the Wizards April 1.
Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
DONUT 3: COFFEE IS FOR CLOSERS - After trailing by 13 at the half, the Mavs got as five in the closing minutes but the game was never really in doubt. If you're going to rally against Phoenix you better do it early. They improved to 51-0 when trailing after three quarters.
DONUT 4: VILLANOVA VALIDATION - Difficult to fathom that two key players in this series - Brunson and the Suns Mikal Bridges - both played at the same college. In fact, the pair were teammates at Villanova that won not one, but two (2016, 2018) National Championships. Since those guys left campus, the Wildcats haven't returned to the title game. No wonder coach Jay Wright retired this Spring.
DONUT 5: POINT GAWD - With each accidentally-on-purpose elbow to the junk and orchestrated, flailing leg kick, Chris Paul's legacy soils. But with each assist, his legend also grows. The Suns 36-year-old point guard probably won't do it this series, but he's closing in on passing Mavs coach Jason Kidd for second in all-time NBA playoff assists. With his three tonight, Paul is at 1,144 to trail Kidd by a cool 100+. Even if he plays another 3-4 seasons, Paul is unlikely to pass all-time leader John Stockton's 1,839.
DONUT 6: WESTWARD HO - This was the Mavs first playoff game in Phoenix since June 3, 2006, better known as the night they finally clinched a trip to the NBA Finals. In that game almost 16 years ago Dallas was led by - of course - Dirk Nowitzki's 24 points, but also big contributions from two guys who are these days head coaches: Jerry Stackhouse (Vanderbilt) and Josh Howard (UNT-Dallas).
DONUT 7: ABUSIVE AYTON - Kidd was right about one thing entering this series: DeAndre Ayton is no Rudy Gobert. The Jazz center's game, of course, is predicated on defense, but the Mavs continually put Utah's offense in a bind behind the 7-footer couldn't consistently score. Said Kidd before Game 1, "We have to adapt. Our game plan against Utah is not going to work against the Suns. This isn’t Gobert or (Hassan) Whiteside. These guys can put the ball in the basket.” While Gobert managed only 72 points in the five-game series, Ayton exploited Dallas' smaller defenders for 25 points on 12-of-20 shooting.
DONUT 8: TAKE A BOW - When I was a snotty-nosed beat writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and new to the Mavs in 1994, assistant general manager Keith Grant was kind enough to show me the ropes. No surprise, as Grant has been the organization's most courteous, under-the-radar helpers since the 1980s. The kid who began with the franchise as a ball boy is retiring at the end of the season to move into a part-time consulting role. During his career Grant worked for every Mavs owner and general manager. If he ever writes a tell-all book, buy it!
DONUT 9: UNDERRATED UNDERDOGS - Mavs entered the game 7-0 against the spread when at least six-point underdogs. Make it 7-1. Even with a furious rally that trimmed a 21-point deficit to as little as five, the Mavs didn't cover the spread when Devin Booker made two free throws with seven seconds remaining and Dinwiddie missed a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
DONUT 10: DONCIC DEBUT 2.0 - This was Luka's first game in the Western Conference semifinals, in the same building where he made his NBA debut 3.5 years ago. On that night - Oct. 17, 2018 - in his first game as a rookie, the 19-year-old missed all five of his 3-pointers and managed only 10 points in a 21-point loss. Though his team lost again Monday night, he played considerably better with a game-high 45 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. He was, again, the best player on the court.
DONUT 11: INTERMISSION EMERGENCY - In their Game 5 romp over Utah in the first round, the Mavs' defense held the Jazz to 77 points. Total. In Monday's first half the Suns put up 69 on 64-percent shooting. For a team whose DNA is defense, that was an embarrassingly uncharacteristic performance.
DONUT 12: SUN-BURNED - The Mavs have lost 10 in a row to the Suns, including all four games this season. Ominous? Perhaps. But remember, the Mavs had lost 11 consecutive games in Salt Lake City before winning Games 3 and 6.
