Doncic, Mavs defeat Suns
DALLAS — Luka Doncic tumbled toward the baseline after getting bumped by Chris Paul just before the halftime buzzer, the apprentice showing he has watched one of the masters at drawing fouls.
The trick spurred a critical fourth foul on Paul, setting up the host Dallas Mavericks to get even in the Western Conference semifinals.
Doncic scored 26 points while helping Dallas take advantage of foul trouble for Paul to beat the Phoenix Suns 111-101 on Sunday for a 2-2 series tie.
“I saw he was going for the rebound and I was surprised,” Doncic said. “He said to me, ‘Did I push you that hard?’ I said, ‘No, not that hard. But it was a smart play.’ And he said, ‘Yeah, I know.’ ”
Paul ended up being out of Game 4 early in the fourth quarter, the period when he often dominated the Mavericks during an 11-game winning streak that ended with Dallas’ home win in Game 3. Game 5 is Tuesday night in Phoenix.
Dorian Finney-Smith scored a playoff careerhigh 24 points on the most 3-pointers he has had, regular season or playoffs. He was 8 of 12 from deep, including consecutive 3s for a 14point lead midway through the fourth.
Dallas matched its 20 3s (20 of 44) from a Mother’s Day rout of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2011, a win that completed a four-game sweep in the second round on the way to the championship. The Mavericks are playing beyond the first round for the first time since then.
Devin Booker scored 35 points for the Suns, who dropped two straight on the road with a 2-0 lead just as they did in last year’s NBA Finals. Milwaukee won the last four to take the title. Top-seeded Phoenix lost consecutive games for the first time in the playoffs.
“Last year was a learning experience for us,” Booker said. “We went to six games last year with the Lakers, six games with the Clippers, six with the Bucks, six with New Orleans (this year). We understand that it’s a series. It’s the playoffs for a reason.”
Turnovers were the story with Paul in Dallas’ Game 3 win, when the 37-year-old had the most in any half of his playoff career with seven before halftime.