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The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Phoenix Suns Thursday night in Dallas, winning 123-113. It was a crucial win for the Mavericks in their attempt to avoid the play-in and extended their win streak to a season-best seven games. The win gives the Mavericks a 2-1 advantage in the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Suns and comes at a time when a loss could have seen them slip to 8th in the West.
In many ways, the Mavericks and Suns mirror each other. Each team is led by a duo of stars that serve as the metaphorical lipstick on a flawed pig. Luka Doncic (41/11/9) and Kyrie Irving (29/5/3) led their team while Devin Booker (35/8/5) and Kevin Durant (23/5/1) did the heavy lifting for the Suns. None of the role players on either team covered themselves in glory other than some physical play from Daniel Gafford and some solid defense from Royce O’Neale.
The rivalry between these two teams is real, folks. The game was played with a playoff intensity and the players’ faces after each basket told you just how invested they were in leading their team to victory. Every game between Luka and Booker is appointment television and if the basketball gods care about the fans, these two teams should face each other in the playoffs every year. Now, let’s take a look at how the game unfolded.
The first quarter was all about the stars. Devin Booker was able to get wherever he wanted to on the court and had 12 points and 3 assists after the opening frame. For the Mavericks, Luka and Kyrie once again had to save the day. Other than a couple step back 3s, Luka was forced to be a playmaker. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber each missed wide-open looks from the corner as the Suns extended their lead. After picking up his second foul with 1:23 left in the quarter and the game 31-24 in favor of the Suns, Kyrie went on a personal 8-0 run that included a nice assist and 2 back-to-back threes that gave the Mavericks their first lead of the game. Devin Booker ended the quarter with a tough shot in the lane that gave the Suns a 33-32 lead heading into the 2nd.
With Luka starting the 2nd quarter on the bench, Kyrie picked up where he left off and hit two tough shots in the lane to start the quarter. After, things got ugly for the Mavericks. A few empty possessions ended with contested 3s from Tim Hardaway Jr. For the Suns, it was Kevin Durant time. PJ Washington defended him as well as you can but Durant’s length allowed him to simply shoot over him on back-to-back possessions. After 5 straight Mavericks misses, Luka mercifully reentered the game with 7 minutes left in the half and a 49-41 deficit. Luka single-handedly kept the game from slipping out of reach. He had a run that included two tough And 1s and some contested shots in the lane. The Mavericks were fortunate to head into the half down just 3 with the score 63-60.
Devin Booker caught fire in the 3rd and ended the quarter with 29 points. It was his brilliance that kept the Suns within striking distance despite an unreal quarter from Luka. Luka started the 3rd by hitting four 3-pointers and assisting on another. The 15-0 run gave the Mavericks a 75-63 lead before the Suns called a quick time-out. The rest of the quarter was a series of mini-runs by each time. Ultimately, the Mavericks led 96-91 with one quarter to play.
The Suns went cold to start the fourth and only scored 5 points after 4 minutes. The Mavericks, on the other hand, were once again aided by the play of Luka and Kyrie. Their ability to get into the paint and create open looks for their teammates allowed the Mavericks to extend the lead to 12 points midway through the 4th. The rest of the 4th was played to a draw. Neither team could grab hold of the game and go on any sort of extended run. As the buzzer sounded, the Mavericks were able to hang on to a 123-113 victory.
Here are three thoughts from the game:
Luka and Kyrie are world class shot makers
Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are historically great shooters. Luka and Kyrie are historically great (tough)shot makers. Some of the shots the duo take would get a mere mortal yanked from the game and buried on the bench. These two, however, make these shots with a regularity that is easy to take for granted. Kyrie had one particular layup in the first quarter that you have to watch on replay to truly grasp how absurd it was. He regularly drives into the chest of much larger players and is able to bounce off the contact, hang in the air, and make the heavily contested shot. Luka continued to be Luka. There wasn’t one particular play that stood out. It was just more of what we’ve seen hundreds and hundreds of times. There aren’t enough adjectives to describe what Luka did to the Suns in the 3rd quarter. It is truly a pleasure to watch him play the game of basketball.
Put a fork in Maxi, he’s done
The Maxi Kleber that we knew and loved is officially gone. The injuries have caught up to him and one can argue the Mavs are worse with him on the floor. Defensively, he used to be tasked with defending larger wings and the occasional big in small-ball lineups. He’s simply not capable of being that type of defender anymore. On one possession, Nurkic put him under the basket and scored an easy layup. On other possessions, he wasn’t necessarily bum-hunted, but his inability to contain dribble penetration led to some easy baskets for the Suns.
Offensively, he lacks confidence. He’s no longer a willing shooter and the combination of his lengthy shot release and unwillingness to launch 3s allows defenders to take an extra step into the lane and make things difficult for Kyrie and Luka on drives. The Suns did a great job of trapping Luka when he crossed inside the arc and rotating to the shooters. With Maxi in the game, it appeared as though there were 6 Suns defenders out there. 48 minutes of competent rim protection can help protect Maxi but he has to be ready to shoot if he hopes to have a positive impact on this team.
The Team Needs a Plan B behind Tim Hardaway Jr.
Tim Hardaway giveth, but often, Tim Hardaway taketh away. As you could’ve guessed, Hardaway Jr. was flat-out terrible on the defensive end tonight. It’s his offense, however, that needs to be addressed.
Tim Hardaway Jr. has the memory of a goldfish. It doesn’t matter if he misses 20 shots in a row, you can bet the 21st is going up with the utmost confidence. On nights like tonight, where Luka and Kyrie were on fire, it’s easy to overlook how detrimental he was during parts of this game. Outside of a quick 5 point outburst in the third quarter, he was a net negative. On nights when either Luka or Kyrie are struggling, the Mavericks need someone who can be a consistent 3rd scorer. It’s possible the Mavs believe PJ Washington can develop into a third option and that is why they were comfortable parting with what they did in that trade. If not, much of the Maverick’s success this season will depend on Tim Hardaway Jr. and that could affect the Maverick’s ability to have a sustained run in the playoffs.
