Coach Jason Kidd said before Game 3 on Friday that it didn’t look like the Mavericks were having much fun on the court when they fell behind 2-0 in the conference semifinals against Phoenix.
Losing tends to make things less fun.
So early in Game 3, Luka Dončić took it upon himself to make things a little more entertaining by showing he can be just as effective from the seat of his pants as he can when he’s whirling through the paint.
He got knocked to the floor on a possession in the opening minutes, but the offensive rebound got tipped right to him as he was seated near the free-throw line.
Without hesitation, he saw Dorian Finney-Smith cutting from the wing, flipped the pass and Finney-Smith finished an easy layup.
Not a bad way to lighten the mood – and pick up a rebound and an assist.
“That was pretty good by Luka,” said Kidd, who said he couldn’t remember any of his 12,091 career assists coming from the prone position. “Did he get a rebound off that, too? He got a rebound and an assist? He knows how to fill up the stat sheet from sitting on the floor.”
It was all part of Kidd’s message to his team that it was time to start having fun in Game 3 after the lost trip to Phoenix for Games 1 and 2.
“Last night, from start to finish, we played hard and were connected – and we had fun,” Kidd said. “I thought one of the big things in those first two games, it just seemed like weren’t having fun as a team and I thought last night, the guys on the floor were having fun as much as the guys who were cheering for him.”
You know what else is fun? Playing defense the way Reggie Bullock and the Mavericks did in the 103-94 Game 3 victory that got them within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series against the Suns.
Bullock’s job was to chase Chris Paul all over the court. And that’s what he did, knowing that he had some help waiting behind him if the 37-year-old Paul got by him, which didn’t really happen very much.
“CP is 37 years old. I’m 31,” Bullock said. “So hopefully I got a little more energy in my tank than he did. He’s a great player. But I just got to wear him down with my youth.
“I trust my back line behind me. He’s going to get past me sometimes, but I know my teammates will be there cover. It started with me being aggressive, just trying to be attached to him. It’s my turn to make life miserable for him.”
That’s the way it is in the playoffs, even for two players who have known each other since Bullock was growing up in North Carolina and playing on Paul’s AAU teams.
Kidd said that Bullock’s defense actually was overlooked in the Game 2 loss, when the Mavericks were within three points early in the fourth quarter before falling apart.
“I thought Reggie did a great job in Game 2 defensively and the message was the same: continue to pressure, continue to catch and shoot and if you get tired, ask for one, don’t wait to where you’re exhausted to the point where, defensively, it hurts our team,” Kidd said. “When he did get tired, we gave him a short break.”
Actually, Bullock is used to getting tired. He’s got young twin boys running around the house that he takes care of when he’s not working on the court.
And by the way, it’s not like Bullock was bankrupt on the offensive end. He had 15 points in Game 3 while hitting 4-of-10 3-pointers.
Bullock also said that he was OK after getting hit in his rib section during Game 3.
“It was on a back pick in transition,” he said. “I got hit on it and it gave me a little discomfort but I was able to finish the game. It’s playoff time, you just got to suck it up or go home.”
And judging from Game 3, going home is not an option for the Mavericks at this stage of the game.
Twitter: @ESefko
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