The Phoenix Suns are now a win away from back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances thanks to a fiery 110-80 Game 5 victory over the Mavericks in Phoenix, with the series shifting back to Dallas for Game 6 on Friday.
Dallas were up by as many as eight in the first-half before Phoenix fought back to earn a three-point halftime lead before exploding in the third-quarter to put the result beyond doubt. The Suns were led by Devin Booker’s 28 points and 7 rebounds on 11-of-20 from the field and 3-of-7 from three, whilst Deandre Ayton added an efficient 20 points and 9 boards. Mikal Bridges had 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals in his 34 minutes, whilst Cam Johnson added 14 points and 2 steals off the bench. Chris Paul had put up a quiet 7 points and 10 assists, which didn’t matter in the end as the Suns finished strong to come up with a big-time victory.
Luka Dončić had 28 points and 11 rebounds for Dallas on 10-of-23 from the field and 2-of-8 from three, whilst Jalen Brunson put up 21 points and 7 rebounds on 9-of-17 from the field. Dāvis Bertāns was the only other Maverick to reach double-digits scoring. After a solid opening, Dallas floundered, scoring just 34 second-half points and surrendering an 8-point, first-half lead. Reggie Bullock had a tough night for Dallas, failing to scratch on five field-goal attempts, whilst Dorian Finney-Smith cooled off after hitting two early threes to finish with just 8 points and 3 rebounds.
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Phoenix shot drastically better from the field and from three and won the assists battle by a whopping 28 to 9. They also controlled the glass and forced more turnovers en route to a 30-point demolition of Dallas. The game ended with a fiery exchange between Phoenix’s Bismack Biyombo and Dallas’ Marquese Chriss, which ended in the pair exchanging words in the tunnel whilst being held back by staffers and security. Moments later, Dončić was heard exclaiming “everybody acting tough when they’re up” as he exited into the locker-room, after noticing an apparent attitude shift amongst the Suns’ players when the tide began to turn.
Game 6 will be played in Dallas on Friday morning and is sure to be an intense affair, with the Mavericks fighting for their playoff lives and the Suns looking to wrap the series up and move on to a likely meeting with Golden State. Dallas will need to improve on both sides of the ball and avoid any lengthy rough patches like they experienced today in the third-quarter, whilst Phoenix will take plenty from their second-half takeover after looking slightly stunned in the early goings. If Golden State are able to get past Memphis tomorrow morning, they will have booked their ticket to the Western Conference Finals and will be keeping a keen eye on proceedings in Dallas.
