East Bay Times

Doncic scores 35 as Mavs stun the Suns in Game 7

- By David Brandt

PHOENIX >> Luka Doncic scored 35 points, Spencer Dinwiddie added 30 and the Dallas Mavericks stunned the top-seeded Phoenix Suns with a 12390 Game 7 blowout Sunday night, advancing to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2011.

Dallas broke through on the road after the home team won the first six games of the series, dominating in a hostile environmen­t from start to finish. Conversely, it was an embarrassi­ng no-show for the playoff-tested Suns — who advanced to the NBA Finals last season with a very similar roster.

The fourth-seeded Mavericks travel to face Golden State in Game 1 on Wednesday. Doncic earned the Mavs an early lead, making his first three shots, including two 3-pointers. That helped Dallas push to a 27-17 advantage in the first quarter and a whopping 57-27 cushion at the halftime break.

Doncic and Dinwiddie, who came off the bench, combined to pour in 48 of the Mavericks' 57 points.

The Suns looked overwhelme­d by the pressure of a Game 7. They missed shots they usually make, made bad passes they usually don't make and looked nothing like the team that won an NBA-best 64 games during the regular season.

By halftime, many Suns fans were booing the unsightly display.

The series might have been close but the individual games usually were not. Three of the first six games were decided by at least 20 points and none of the games came down to the final possession.

Game 7 followed a similar pattern, except the team doing all the damage was the road team. Doncic was fantastic, making shots from all over the floor and finishing 12 of 19 from the field, including 6 of 11 on 3s. He also got some help: Dinwiddie was fantastic in the first half with 21 points on 7-of10 shooting, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range.

Meanwhile, Phoenix's All-Star backcourt of Chris Paul and Devin Booker was never a factor. Booker finished with 11 points and shot 3 of 14. Paul had 10 points and four assists.

 ?? CHRISTIAN PETERSEN — GETTY IMAGES ?? The Mavericks' Luka Doncic, who had 35points, reacts after making a 3-pointer against the Suns in Game 7in Phoenix.
CHRISTIAN PETERSEN — GETTY IMAGES The Mavericks' Luka Doncic, who had 35points, reacts after making a 3-pointer against the Suns in Game 7in Phoenix.

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