The Mavericks need to put the brakes on sooner. What on December 22 (the start of the season) looked like an exciting year turns into a nightmare. Last night at home and against the Phoenix Suns, 105-111 to fall for the fifth game in a row.
What is happening in Dallas? It would take a long time to analyze it, but the reality, what the results mark is that they are very far from what they want to be. The offense didn’t quite work out, the defense didn’t improve much, and they couldn’t even claim victory over the arriving Suns without their top scorer, Devin Booker.
Luka Doncic climbed to 29 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists to propel his team to a 15-point lead midway through the third quarter. The crash seemed to be on the right track, but in the style of what we saw during 2019-2020, they returned. Those from Texas sometimes seem to be playing so it is very difficult to close games.
“We had bad possessions and really poor defensive play, which helped them gain momentum. It was really disappointing because of how hard our guys fought. But Phoenix held on, they made plays and they were able to do what they had to do to get back on track. We just have to do better, ”said Rick Carlisle of some Mavs who went from two points with five minutes remaining (94-92) to a loss by nine with only one remaining (96-105). Blackout and goodbye.
Decisive Paul
As doubts mount in Dallas, Phoenix has a room that provides security under all circumstances. Chris Paul doesn’t score 20 points every night (maybe he doesn’t want to) but if he has to, he has no problem taking responsibility for leading the attack by scoring. Against the Mavs, he rose to 29 points, scoring 16 of them in the fourth quarter. In addition, he distributed 12 assists. Yes, more than half of the Suns’ points came out of his hands.
“It helps to know you have someone like that with the ball, knowing that his intention is to make it play for the team. He might be the one doing the shot or finding it for someone else, but I think he sees everything at a different pace than the others in the last few minutes. I don’t know why, if it’s something of a gene or just has it, ”said Monty Williams, head coach of the Suns.
The Arizona franchise, now 10-8, also featured a fantastic DeAndre Ayton who posted a double-double of 18 points and 17 rebounds. In two days, Mavericks and Suns meet again.
(Photograph by Ronald Martinez /.)
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