Mavericks and 76ers tie up respective playoff series
THE Dallas Mavericks tied up their playoff series in spite of a poor shooting night from Luka Doncic on Sunday, winning Game 4 against the Phoenix Suns 111-101.
The Slovenian went oneof-10 from beyond the arc and converted on a total of nine-of-25 from the oor, but the Mavs were otherwise automatic from long-range and Doncic was the facilitator in that regard.
He ended up with 11 assists while the rest of the Dallas team went 19-of-34 from deep, with Dorian FinneySmith scoring a career playoff-high with 24 points on eight-of-12 from the perimeter.
While Devin Booker scored 35 points, Phoenix lacked a reference point late in the game with Chris Paul fouled out early.
The first-seeded Suns went three-of-nine from the perimeter in the fourth quarter, while Booker critically turned the ball over three times.
In the Eastern Conference, the first-seeded Miami Heat find themselves in a series, with the Philadelphia 6ers claiming a 116-108 win in Game 4.
Joel Embiid’s second game back from injury gave the Sixers a boost to tie up the series, finishing with 24 points on seven-of-13 shooting and 11 rebounds.
James Harden was the star of the show, however, coming up with 31 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, including some big buckets down the stretch.
The Heat were able to generate open looks, and at timely moments in the game, but were simply not able to capitalise, going seven-of-35 from the perimeter.
Victor Oladipo and Tyler Herro were particularly unable to provide Miami with a scoring boost off the bench, combining for 26 points but off two-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc.DPA