Dallas Mavericks could not steal the first game of the Western Conference semifinals despite Luka Doncic 45-point performance Monday. The Mavs never had control, and they trailed all-game long to the top-seeded Suns.
Doncic scorched the top-seeded Phoenix Suns for 45 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in the series opener, yet the Mavs experienced a 114-121 defeat to fall behind in the semifinal series.
“He got whatever he wanted, when you look at the shots in the paint, behind the arc, midrange, and then also I thought he got his teammates some great looks that we normally had made,” Kidd told reporters (h/t to ESPN).
“We’ve just got to get someone to join the party,” Kidd stated.
Jalen Brunson, who played a key role in the opening round series vs Utah, had an off night for Dallas. He finished with 16 points on a 6-of-16 shooting night. Spencer Dinwiddie, the other player who is considered an offensive creator, was held to 8 points on 3-of-8 shooting.
Doncic and Maxi Kleber looked ready for the challenge, but the rest of the Mavs didn’t do much until it was too late. Kleber finished with 19 points. Kidd praised both players for keeping the Mavericks alive for parts of the game.
”I thought Maxi and Luka in that first half kept us afloat,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said, via NBA.com. ”We could have easily been down 39 at halftime but Maxi and LD were good. LD was good in the second half, too.
Aside from the Mavs’ offensive struggles (minus Doncic and Kleber), Dallas has to be concerned with their defensive play, as they allowed Phoenix to shoot 50.5 percent from the field.
“I think our defense lost us the game today,” Doncic told reporters. “Our start on the defensive end was terrible, and we’ve got to change that. I know we can play way better defense.”
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