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Doncic finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists for
fourth-seeded Dallas, which sliced top-seeded Phoenix's lead to
2-1 in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal.
Game 4 of the series is Sunday in Dallas.
The Mavericks also got 15 points from Reggie Bullock plus 14
each from Dorian Finney-Smith and Maxi Kleber. While Doncic had
his lowest-scoring game of the series -- he averaged 40 in the
two losses at Phoenix -- Dallas had more of the balance coach
Jason Kidd said was required to beat the Suns.
The Mavericks also came up big on defense. Phoenix hit just 44.7
percent from the field, the first time in nine postseason games
it was held under 50 percent. The Suns also coughed up 17
turnovers, their highest figure in the playoffs this year.
Jae Crowder paced Phoenix with 19 points, while Devin Booker had
18 points and six assists. Deandre Ayton scored 16 points and
grabbed 11 rebounds, and Mikal Bridges and Chris Paul each added
12 points.
Dallas made only 44.4 percent of its shots but committed just
eight turnovers.
The Mavericks avoided falling into a 9-0 hole at the start, the
deficit they faced in each of the series' first two games.
Instead, Dallas rattled off a 19-3 spurt for a 26-16 lead on
Doncic's layup with 1:44 left in the first quarter. The hosts
held a 29-20 edge entering the second.
Meanwhile, Phoenix was its worst enemy at times. The Suns shot
well but harmed themselves with turnovers. Paul committed seven
in the first half, while Dallas didn't have a turnover until
Doncic was whistled for an offensive foul on its final
possession of the half.
Ahead 51-44 at halftime, the Mavericks gained more separation in
the third quarter. They started the period with a 20-9 run for a
71-53 advantage at the six-minute mark on Kleber's pullup jumper
and took an 82-67 cushion into the final 12 minutes.
--Field Level Media
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