Chris Paul takes control down the stretch, scoring 14 of his 28 points in the 4th quarter of Game 2.
• Complete Suns-Mavericks series coverage
PHOENIX — We predicted a guard-heavy Western Conference semifinals.
So, it’s no surprise the backcourt of Devin Booker and Chris Paul tipped the scales substantially in Phoenix’s direction Wednesday at Footprint Center, combining for 58 points in a 129-109 win over the Dallas Mavericks to help the Suns seize a 2-0 lead in this best-of-seven series.
Booker jumpstarted a third-quarter Phoenix avalanche with 12 points to transform a two-point deficit at intermission into a six-point lead going into the final frame. Once winning time arrived, Paul lived up to the nickname “Point God” in drilling 6-for-7 for 14 points as the catalyst to a 40-point fourth quarter in which he scored or assisted on the first club’s 19 points.
The Suns shot a smoldering 84.2% in the fourth quarter, which registers as the second-best field goal percentage in the last stanza over the last 25 postseasons, and trails only the San Antonio Spurs from Game 1 of the 2014 NBA Finals (87.5%).
Booker and Paul lead our five takeaways from Game 2, while the Spurs (you’ll understand after you read it) get a little love here, too, as a bonus before the series heads back to Dallas on Friday for Game 3 (9:30 ET, ESPN).
1. Book cooks
You probably didn’t even realize that Booker came into Game 2 in somewhat of a minor shooting slump when you consider he had scored a total of 36 points on 12-for-32 shooting overall and a 2-for-11 showing on 3-pointers over his last two playoff games.
A three-time All-Star, Booker remedied all of that with a game-changing third-quarter performance. Fresh out of halftime with Phoenix trailing by two, the shooting guard splashed back-to-back 3-pointers on the way to scoring eight consecutive points to put the Suns up 66-42 over the span of one minute and 24 seconds.
Devin Booker scored 30 points to help guide Phoenix to a Game 2 win.
Booker poured in 21 of his team-high 30 points in the second half for his 12th career 30-point outing in the postseason. Phoenix is 23-7 this season when he hits 30 points and the Suns are 52-0 in 2021-22 when it leads after three quarters.
“We’ve done a good job of having the lead at the end of the third quarter and finishing teams off this year,” Booker said. “Tonight was another example of it.”
2. Paul owns the fourth
Don’t think so? Well, consider this: Paul piled up 14 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and he leads the 2022 playoffs in fourth-quarter scoring (10.3 ppg on 63.6% shooting). His Game 2 showing marked the fourth time in these playoffs that Paul scored 10 points or more in the final frame, which helped Phoenix capture its 11th straight win against the Mavs.
The 37-year-old point guard dished a game-high eight dimes, as the Suns finished with 28 helpers on 49 made field goals. Phoenix’s 27 assists per game in this postseason are second only to Golden State (28.7 apg).
Chris Paul scores 14 of the 28 points in the 4th to lead the Suns to a Game 2 win over the Mavericks.
How does Paul do it?
“I’m not sure,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “I think when he comes back to start the fourth for whatever reason, he’s fresh. I’d love to sit here and tell you I knew why or how he does it. I don’t know if our guys expect it, but I know they’re grateful for it. And you can kind of see it. When he starts going, everybody else just follows suit.”
3. Doncic’s disastrous 3rd quarter
Luka Doncic scored or assisted on 24 of Dallas’ 28 first-quarter points to help his team to a feisty first-half start. The Mavericks’ superstar guard produced a game-high 35 points with five rebounds and seven assists for his 12th career postseason outing with 30 points or more. That ties him with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the fourth-most 30-point playoff showings before the age of 24. In fact, only LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant have more 30-point playoff games before turning 24.
Overall, Doncic scored 24 of his game-high 35 points in the first half, but that served as part of the problem. His rough showing in the third quarter sunk Dallas’ prospects for taking Game 2.
Can Luka Doncic and the Mavs flip the script in this series?
The Mavericks snatched their first lead of the series with 7:56 left in the first half on a Davis Bertans 3-pointer off a Jalen Brunson assist.
In the third quarter, the 22-year-old Doncic provided more turnovers (3) than points (2) taking just three shots, and soon thereafter, Dallas had its first three-game skid since mid-March. Doncic sputtering on offense was one thing, but the Suns saw his struggles as a perfect opportunity to hunt him on the defensive end. Mission accomplished.
What’s more is the Mavericks’ supporting cast didn’t provide much assistance. Doncic, Reggie Bullock and Spencer Dinwiddie finished as the team’s only double-figure scorers. After averaging 43.1 points in the first round vs. Utah, Brunson and Dinwiddie have combined to produce less than half of that (20.5) through the first two games of this series.
4. Suns ‘bring it’ after rough Game 1 finish
Williams discussed his team understanding that “we have to bring it” 105 minutes before tipoff for Game 2, after feeling dissatisfied with Dallas closing Game 1 with a spirited fourth-quarter run.
“The way the game ended the other day created a bit of motivation and good intensity,” Williams said. “We felt it yesterday in the gym. Our guys were not satisfied with us not playing as well as we’re capable of playing.”
Phoenix corrected that issue by hitting a playoff franchise record of 64.5% from the field. The Suns have now connected on 50% or better in all eight of their postseason contests, which also sets a playoff record for consecutive games hitting 50% or better on FGs. The 1984 Los Angeles Lakers hold the NBA record of 10-straight games of shooting 50% or better from the field.
5. Suns can play small, too … or not
We’ve heard quite a bit in this series about the Mavericks’ small-ball lineups. The Suns remain confident, however, in their ability to match those tactics if needed thanks to the near-encyclopedic knowledge of the offense by some of the team’s veterans. Phoenix can play with Jae Crowder, Cameron Johnson or Torrey Craig at the 5, according to Williams.
“We’ve been able to do it because we’ve got guys that understand to a degree how to play from the 5-spot in a small-ball lineup,” the coach said. “[It’s] not just playing in that environment, but [them] being able to rebound is the biggest thing. We feel like those three guys help us with that.”
After an impressive 4th-quarter closeout of the Mavs in Game 2, the Suns continue to show their strength in the West.
Now, let’s also consider the depth among the true bigs on Phoenix’s roster — a luxury the Mavericks simply can’t match.
Both Deandre Ayton and JaVale McGee found themselves in foul trouble late in Game 2. Ayton played just 18:28 because he picked up foul No. 4 in the third quarter, and his backup, JaVale McGee, piled up five fouls. No problem. That just meant more minutes for Bismack Biyombo, who played 18:23 and contributed nine points and a block.
Bonus takeaway: Popovich is in the playoffs?
Well, technically, the NBA’s all-time winningest coach isn’t participating in the postseason. But six of the eight teams that are were led by men who either played for coach Gregg Popovich or started their careers working under him or the San Antonio Spurs organization.
Williams played for Popovich with the Spurs (1995-98) and spent time working for the organization as its vice president of basketball operations. Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr grinded for four seasons as a reserve guard (1998-2001; 2002-03) for the legendary coach near the end of his career. Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka served two stints as a player under Popovich (2007-09; 2010-11), before working as an assistant on his staff in San Antonio from 2012-19.
Suns coach Monty Williams is quick to praise Gregg Popovich and the Spurs for their impact on his career.
Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers played his last two seasons with the Spurs (1994-96) during Popovich’s time as the team’s executive vice president of basketball operations/general manager. Out in Milwaukee, Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer took his first NBA job at the start of the 1994-95 season as San Antonio’s video coordinator before Popovich promoted him to assistant coach (1996-2013). Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins spent 2012-13 as coach of San Antonio’s NBA G League affiliate, the Austin Toros (now the Spurs), after toiling from 2008-12 as an assistant with that team. Jenkins also interned in the Spurs’ basketball operations department during the 2007-08 season.
Informed of the coach’s influence on the 2021-22 playoffs, Williams shook his head unaware of Popovich’s reach.
“I didn’t know that,” he said. “He’s done a lot, he and [CEO] R.C. [Buford]. In particular, Pop, they’ve created opportunities for people to figure out what they want to do, whether you played or you didn’t play. That place has always been somewhat of an opportunity school if you will.
“When you get there, they don’t tell you what to do. You’re invited to join and see if you want to do it, and then look at all the options. That’s what Pop told me. He’s like, ‘Look, I think you can do both. But you’ve got to figure it out. I can’t tell you what to do.’ They just laid it out for me and said, ‘figure it out.’ He’s done that for countless people. It’s changed a lot of lives. I wouldn’t know what to do if I had to start on my own. The day of a coach had to be laid out for me. I had P.J. Carlesimo, Don Newman, Brett Brown and then R.C. to keep a foot in my tail every day when I was amiss with a few choice words that I can’t say for the listening audience. But it helped me with the direction.”
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Michael C. Wright is a senior writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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