Nothing was wrong with the Mavericks’ game plan against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday afternoon.
Even the execution of said game plan was solid.
But sometimes, NBA players have an answer even when the opponent’s strategy is sound.
That’s what the Suns did at American Airlines Center. The Mavericks did a good job of getting the ball away from Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, even though both ended up with 30-something-point scoring games.
They are superstars. Big games don’t come as a surprise from them.
But Ish Wainright hitting four-of-five three-pointers in the second half? He hadn’t even played in the first half. But he tilted the game in the Suns’ favor, giving their heavy lifters just enough help to make the Mavericks suffer.
“You’re going to have to give up something,” said Tim Hardaway Jr. “You try to get the ball out of the two, three all-stars’ hands and have try to have other guys beat you. That’s all you can do.”
Earlier in the game, it appeared that was exactly what Hardaway was going to do to the Suns.
He had poured in 18 first-half points to keep the Mavericks in range of the potent Suns.
It extended a major roll that Hardaway has been on since the All-Star break. He’s been coming off the bench in those five games and has averaged 16.8 points and shot a ridiculous 59.5 percent from three-point land.
The Mavericks getting that sort of efficiency from Hardaway off the bench is going to pay huge dividends somewhere down the line. And at some point, defenses are going to have to adjust.
Hardaway clearly has the sixth-man mentality down to an art form.
“You’re not going to get that many plays run for you when you play with All-Stars and those type of caliber of guys,” he said. “So you got to find ways to get yourself involved in the game, whether it’s rebounding, taking a charge, coming off a pick and roll or get yourself a throw-ahead pass early in the shot clock, try to attack and make something happen.
“That’s just what I’ve been trying to do these last couple games and I think it’s been working out great for us, not only myself, but for (Christian Wood) and a lot of guys.”
Here’s our other takeaways from the Mavericks’ 130-126 loss to the Suns Sunday afternoon:
PUNCHERS OR POSERS? It was a dustup that created a lot of talk around the NBA as Luka Dončić and Devin Booker went nose-to-nose with 3 seconds left after Luka’s point-blank push shot rimmed out. A bucket would have tied the game. Booker began jawing, apparently at the referee, but Luka took offense and the two were inseparable for a few seconds. This came after the two got emotional at times during last spring’s playoff series, won by the Mavericks in seven games with a smashing Game 7 blowout in Phoenix. While, as Kyrie Irving said, there were never going to be any punches thrown or anything like that, the Luka-Booker kerfuffle is another indication that Mavericks-Suns is turning into a great rivalry. It would make a playoff meeting next month – or better yet, in May – all the more juicy.
SECOND-CHANCES? ABSOLUTELY FATAL: The Mavericks got beat 41-31 on the boards. Almost all of that disparity was in the second half, when the Suns outrebounded the Mavericks 22-13. Granted, there were not a lot of missed shots. But when there were, the Mavericks couldn’t find the ball. The Suns rolled up a 16-3 advantage in second-chance points. None of the offensive rebounds for Phoenix were bigger than the ones that came with the Mavericks up 122-121 with under three minutes left. Wainright, who had four second-half three-pointers, finally missed a layup try with 2:28 to go, but the Mavericks couldn’t come up with the rebound. Wainright then drilled a three-pointer. Moments later, Deandre Ayton tipped in a Booker miss and the Mavericks never regained the lead. As good as the Mavericks are offensively, they absolutely have to figure out how to rebound better.
SOUNDS FAMILIAR: On Sunday, fans got to see a great offensive unit on display, but also one that is pretty much lost on the defensive end. Are we talking about the Mavericks or the Suns? The answer, of course, is both. The Suns are no different than the Mavericks in that they have trouble stopping everybody. Maybe that will change for one or both of them before playoff time. But we kind of doubt it. This just may be one of those rare seasons when the best teams are the ones that simply outscore their opponent with little regard for whether that means 99-96 or 139-136. It might not be a treat for some purists, but it should be awfully entertaining.
Twitter: @ESefko
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