Just 14 seconds after the game, Chris Paul hit a midfield jumper to give the Suns a lead they would never give up. It took less than five minutes to push their lead to double digits, where it would remain for most of the game. The Mavericks remained competitive all the way and used a streak at the end of the fourth quarter to make the final score respectable, but it never looked like they would really win.
Deandre Ayton had a great run against the Mavericks small front, finishing with 25 points and eight rebounds in 12 of 19 pitches, while Devin Booker had 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Cameron Johnson added 17 points from the bench as the Suns shot over 50 percent off the court for the game.
Luka Doncic led the Mavericks, losing just one triple-double with 45 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. He either scored or assisted on 23 of the Mavericks’ 40 goals. This was the sixth playoff game of his 40-point career.
Here are some key points from the game:
1. The suns go wire by wire with mechanical performance
In the first three possessions of the game, the Suns took a midfield jump from Chris Paul, a steal and a slam from Mikal Bridges and a lay from Devin Booker. A few minutes later, Jae Crowder scored a three-pointer from a pick-and-pop and suddenly it became 9-0. The Suns will maintain this lead for the rest of the game. While their defense is often praised, and for good reason, it was their mechanical efficiency at the offensive end that proved to be the difference. There were some areas where the Mavericks were fired from the three-pointer and Luka Doncic started to leave, but none of that mattered because the Suns got what they wanted on the offensive edge. This was a classic performance of the Suns: 50.5 percent off the court. 39.3 percent of 3-point land. No more than 25 points but seven different players with at least nine. just nine caps as a team. The Suns obviously have a lot of great players, but this is not an all-time super team that sets you apart. Instead, they stay in their system, play in their roles and just do not give up.
2. Ayton makes the Mavericks pay
It took Deandre Ayton more than four minutes to pick up his first basket – one and a half from Devin Booker’s feed in pick-and-roll – but once he got on the board he could not stop. He finished with 25 points and eight rebounds in 12 of 20 from the field in one of his best appearances in the postseason. Ever since exchanging Kristaps Porzingis, the Mavericks have leaned towards an extreme approach with small balls. They are very difficult to defend as a result, but they also deliver great size on the other end and Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber are at a huge disadvantage against centers like Ayton who can really score the ball. Ayton had three dunk and was 9 out of 15 in color. Even when he was not in the best position or did not handle a pass lightly, he could simply get up and shoot over the Mavericks’ smaller defenders. Judging by Game 1, Ayton will be a huge problem in this series and it does not seem that the Mavericks have many options to slow him down.
3. Doncic’s brilliance is not enough
A calf strain has kept Luka Doncic out of his first three games since the season, and even now he does not seem to be at 100%. But even a battered Doncic is better than most league players, as he proved once again with a terrific performance in Game 1. Doncic was the only one who could have achieved something early, scoring 14 of the Mavericks’ 25 points in the first quarter. Despite his hot start, they were behind by 10 in the first break. This turned out to be the theme of the game, as the Slovenian solo act was short. He finished with 45 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in 15 of 30 from the field in more than 44 minutes, recording his sixth game of 40 points in the playoffs. No one else in NBA history has more such games before turning 24. Either he scored or assisted 23 of the Mavericks’ 37 goals (62.1 percent) while on the floor. Even if Doncic took a bunch of points towards the end of the match in a failed comeback attempt, it is probably not a great sign that he almost scored a triple-double of 40 points and the Mavericks were easily overtaken. Either he will have to put together four superhuman performances, or someone else in the Mavs will have to step up to win this series.
