Red-hot Suns’ dominance on display vs. Mavs
DALLAS — Chris Paul was in full mode again.
The Phoenix Suns closed the right way this time.
The Dallas Mavericks can’t guard anybody.
Jae Crowder continues to have the hot hand.
And 11 offensive fouls were really called in Game 2.
That’s the morning menu of five takeaways from Phoenix’s 129-109 victory Wednesday night at Footprint Center as the Suns take a 2-0 lead in this best-of-7 Western Conference semifinals series heading into Friday’s Game 3 at American Airlines Center.
Paul turns 37 years old Friday
Takeaway 1: The 17-year-veteran doesn’t look his age and damn sure isn’t playing like it, either.
Paul once again took over in scoring 14 of his 28 points in the fourth on 6-of-7 shooting.
At one point, he scored inside, looked at the Mavericks bench and gave the timeout signal.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd did just that as the Suns were down 10 with 8:05 left.
Paul said he’s just engaged in the game that was going back and forth with chatter and chippy play.
To him, it’s always about reading the game and seeing what his team needs. No one reads it better.
Whether it’s having the hot hand, feeding the hot hand or taking advantage of a mismatch, Paul once again picked the Mavericks apart to set the table for Devin Booker to put the finishing touches on the win and his 30-point night with three 3s late in the fourth.
Deandre Ayton called Phoenix’s Game 1 finish ‘unacceptable’
Takeaway 2: The Suns made sure they closed Game 2 the right way.
Even with Ayton, Booker, Cam Johnson and JaVale McGee all in foul trouble, the Suns outscored the Mavericks, 4026, in the fourth.
Team ball.
While the 40 points on an absolutely ridiculous 84.2% shooting (16-of-19) is beyond impressive, holding Dallas to 26, is the other side of why they won by 20.
The Mavericks shot 40% in the fourth as the Suns got consecutive stops.
Now, the Suns still don’t have an answer for Luka Doncic, who scored 35 in Game 2 after dropping 45 in Game 1, but one man isn’t going to beat Phoenix.
As great of a player as Giannis Antetokounmpo is, the Bucks beat the Suns with a team effort in last year’s finals.
As Kidd said after Game 2, the rest of the guys didn’t show up for the Mavericks, but the Suns have a lot to do with that.
Jalen Brunson is finding out that it isn’t as easy to score on the Suns as it was against the Jazz. He averaged 27.8 points on 48.1% shooting in the first round versus Utah.
Through two games against Phoenix, Brunson is averaging 11 points on 31.3% shooting. The length, athleticism and discipline of the Suns on defense have been a problem for him.
The Mavs don’t look like an improved defensive team right now
Takeaway 3: The Suns hit some tough shots, but the Mavs don’t look like a team that finished the regular season seventh in defensive rating.
Dallas entered the conference finals fifth in defensive rating among the 16 playoff teams. Two games later, the Mavs are ninth as Phoenix has lit them up.
After shooting 50.5% in Game 1, Phoenix shot 64.5% from the field in Game 2 and went right at Doncic time and time again.
Doncic is a superstar, and is competing more on the defensive end this season, but he is getting cooked right now.
Now granted, this was against Paul, but Doncic was forcing him left and then just opened up the lane for a layup.
Maybe help was supposed to come, but that was a bad look.
Paul danced on Maxi Kleber, too, before hitting a jumper on him.
So Doncic is not alone, but the Mavs haven’t been the same team since the trade that sent 7-footer Kristaps Porzingis to Washington for Spencer Dinwiddie.
They’re better offensively because Dinwiddie gives them a third playmaker, but again, you’re not going to beat Phoenix trading possessions.
Crowder remains on hot streak
Takeaway 4: Crowder is doing more than making shots, though.
After shooting 3-of-26 from 3 in six games of the first round against the Pelicans, Crowder has made 6-of-10 in his two games versus the Mavericks.
He scored all 15 of his points in the first half. With multiple guys dealing with foul trouble, the Suns needed someone to score – and Crowder came through.
The veteran is delivering in other ways, too.
He grabbed seven rebounds, played physical defense and is frustrating Doncic.
Yeah, he got a technical foul after an exchange with the two-time All-NBA selection, but he is staying in Doncic’s face.
This is a microcosm of how the Suns are defending him.
Doncic is going to make shots, but Phoenix is making him work.
There really were 54 fouls called in Game 2
Takeaway 5: This was insane.
The Suns were whistled for 28, Mavericks 26.
Phoenix was called for seven offensive fouls, Dallas four.
The Suns picked up three of those within a minute.
Ayton had one of his fouls upgraded to a flagrant one when his elbow came too high on Dwight Powell when going to the basket. He scored only nine points after going for 25 in Game 1.
With McGee saddled with foul trouble, too, as he finished with five fouls, Bismack Biyombo came up huge with nine points on 4-of-4 shooting and physical play in 18 minutes.
The guy is always ready.
That’s half the battle and his mid-season addition is looking even better and better.
Back to the fouls. Booker didn’t even start the fourth due to foul trouble. Johnson, Booker and Ayton each had four fouls in Game 2.
Fans were irate. The Suns complained, but they adjusted to “that whistle” as coach Monty Williams put it, but can they do it on the road when the crowd is against them and cheering every time a foul is called?
Considering they set a franchise record for road victories in a single season with 32 and closed out the Pelicans in New Orleans, where they won two out of three games, odds say Phoenix will hold up.