Sunday, May 8, 2022. 7:40 p.m.
Dallas, thanks to its leader Luka Doncic and the insolent address behind the arc of Dorian Finney-Smith, trapped Phoenix (111-101) and Chris Paul, early excluded for six faults, to equalize at 2-2 in their Western Conference semifinals on Sunday in the NBA playoffs.
The Mavs knew Luka Doncic couldn’t do miracles on his own. It was the teaching of the first two meetings finished with 45 and 35 points for the Slovenian, but with two defeats at the end. It is therefore at the cost of a great collective effort that they were able to chain a second victory, to relaunch this series.
As in Game 3, the Slovenian prodigy scored 26 points (7 rebounds, 4 steals). But with a weak 9/25 on shots including a bad 1/10 at long distance.
He nevertheless trusted his teammates more (11 assists), who were worthy of it, like Finney-Smith, by planting eight baskets (out of 12) which made 24 points.
Dallas suffocated Phoenix in the first quarter, concluded 37-25, with eight award-winning banderillas already. There will have been twenty in total (out of 44 attempted).
Booker too alone
The success was thus less crazy in the second act and Phoenix gradually rose to the score after being led by 17 units, in the wake of Devin Booker, excellent (35 points, 7 assists), but lonely.
But then, where was Chris Paul? To absent subscribers and it is rare enough to report it (5 points, 7 assists). Overwhelmed by faults, he was sent off in the sixth, harvested nine minutes from time.
On the contrary, it was Dallas, revived at the end of the third quarter by a welcome three-point shot from Frank Ntilikina (3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal), who finished strong, Jalen Brunson (18 points) taking care of the last nail in the coffin.
Relaunched series, game 5 already promises to be crucial in Phoenix on Tuesday, where in front of its public, the best team of the regular season, finalist last year, will have to find its collective drive, to avoid a disappointment against the Mavs very combative.
