Luka Doncic's Mavs Squander 16-Point Lead, Get Blown Out By Suns

The Mavs held a 16-point lead in the first half but were blown out by the Suns in the second half of the game.

DALLAS — In a nationally televised matchup on NBA Rivalry Week, the Dallas Mavericks (24-20) were blown out 132-109 by the Phoenix Suns (26-18) despite leading by as many as 16 points in the first half. Without Kyrie Irving in the lineup due to a right thumb sprain, the Mavs could not overcome. 

"I just think when teams have a recent playoff series against each other, that just heightens the atmosphere and heightens everything," Suns superstar Devin Booker said of the rivalry between the two teams. "The media does a good job of continuing it because they understand it gets traction — which is good for the game. It's good for viewership, it's great for the game, but I have no personal problem with anybody from Dallas - no fans or anything - and that's that."

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Luka Doncic finished with 34 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists, shooting 11-24 from the floor, 4-11 from deep, and 8-12 from the line. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 17 points, and Jaden Hardy added 11, making them the only Mavs players to score in double figures. Dallas started hot but tapered off significantly in the second half.

Booker's 46 points led the Suns, producing his second performance scoring 45 or more this season. Bradley Beal scored 20, with other double-figure performances from Grayson Allen (15 points), Kevin Durant (12 points), and Keita Bates-Diop (11 points). 

The Suns frequently blitzed Doncic in their Christmas Day matchup, initially prompting the Mavs to deploy him in handoffs. With him creating the advantage to get the defense out of rotation, Grant Williams stepped into the starting lineup with Irving sidelined by hitting two 3-pointers, helping Dallas get off to an 8-2 start. 

"Luka requires different coverages than what we normally throw out on a gamely basis," Suns coach Frank Vogel said. "So, it took us a little while to get dialed into it the first half. We got stronger with it and made some adjustments even at halftime and our guys did an even did a better job executing and just had a spectacular third quarter."

After a scuffle between the two teams, Williams, Jusuf Nurkic, and Kevin Durant were called for a technical foul at the 8:02 mark of the first quarter. The sequence resulted in Doncic taking a technical free throw, but Phoenix had the ball. 

"I mean, I just saw the replay. I saw [Grant Williams] step over [Jusuf Nurkic]," Booker said. "Just nonsense tactics, trying to get involved in the game in a way that we don't. We're just out there trying to hoop and play the right way. All the silly stuff is just extra." 

Both teams frequently played 4-on-3 basketball midway through the first quarter due to a defensive approach focused on blitzing. The Suns rallied back after trailing early, making it a 17-15 game with 4:29 left in the period. 

Doncic was in complete control early on, whether he faced a blitz or switch, providing eight points, three rebounds, and four assists in the opening period, proving pivotal in the Mavs holding a 34-25 lead at the end of the first quarter. Dallas shot 13-20 from the floor and 7-10 from the perimeter early on. 

Doncic hit a step-back 3-pointer after drawing a switch for his 15th point, pushing the Mavs' lead to 46-30 with 8:39 left in the second quarter. The team's hot scoring burst from the supporting cast dried up for the rest of the period as Doncic scored 16 of the team's 24 points in the period. 

A throw-ahead pass for a transition finish by Josh Okogie brought the Suns within single figures (54-45) after drawing a foul and making the free throw. Phoenix continued to rally back, outscoring Dallas 32-24 in the second period. With an aggressive on-ball defensive approach and tightened-up half-court defensive rotations, the Suns managed to get Doncic to turn it over a few times and to contain the rest of the Mavs' unit. 

The Mavs were up just 58-57 at halftime. Doncic had totaled 24 points, three rebounds, and five assists before the break but was called for a technical foul walking off the court. However, Dallas' slide continued coming out of the break. 

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Coming out of halftime, the Suns pulled off an 8-0 run to take a 65-58 lead over the Mavs. Williams was called for his second technical foul at the 8:46 mark after voicing his frustration to the officiating crew over a foul call, resulting in his ejection. After Booker received a few friendly bounces on a corner 3-point attempt before the ball rolled through the net, Phoenix extended its advantage to 78-63.

“We didn't execute anything defensively. Another lesson learned from Boston to this game is he's efficient," Kidd said. "He didn't have to go get it in the first quarter. He was patient. He picked his spot, and he took advantage of it. So, for young players to learn from that – and we can learn from that – ‘Book’ [Devin Booker] was going. 

"When he's going, he's one of the best at the mid-range and getting to the basket," Kidd explained. "Then being able to get off the ball … I thought he did a really good job of getting off the ball when he was double-teamed, and then the ball found him."

The Suns adjusted after halftime to double-team Doncic while properly handling weak-side defensive rotations, something they could not do consistently in the first half. Phoenix felt the team was swarming around, making multiple efforts in a proper way to tighten things up in the half-court.

"We weren’t letting Luka play in the third as much as we did in the first. We were double-teaming him in a different way," Vogel said. "One of the areas of growth for our basketball team is not only whether to double or not double is one thing, but when we double not getting beat on the backside. 

"Every double team shouldn’t lead to a backside 3. That’s happened too much to our team throughout the first part of the season," Vogel explained. "So that was one of the challenges – can we double team without getting burned on the backside? And our guys flew around and did a really good job either forcing turnovers or forcing misses, and that got us out on the break, and when we were in the halfcourt, Devin Booker just carried us."

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Entering the fourth quarter, the Mavs were down 100-78 after being outscored by a staggering 43-20 margin. Doncic attacked the rim to cut the Suns' lead to 16 points with 8:57 remaining in regulation. Dallas could not rally back after the surge, trailing 117-94  with 4:50 left in the fourth quarter. 

Booker scored 30 of his 46 points in the second half while shooting a staggeringly efficient 12-14 from the floor, 4-6 from the perimeter, and 2-3 on free throws. No matter what the Mavs' defense tried, they couldn't stop him. 

“It was our defense," Doncic said. "I think Book (Devin Booker) went off, he couldn't miss, he destroyed us. I think it was our defense.”

The Suns have found a significant rhythm, winning seven consecutive games and ranking fifth in the Western Conference standings. While Booker set the tone in this game, Bradley Beal and Durant can go off for a high-volume scoring performance to overwhelm a defense. Phoenix wants Booker to continue to be aggressive. 

"[Booker] did this the other day. We're not surprised by none of this, man," Beal said. "Every single time he touches the floor, his job is to — you know the big orange thing? It's called a rim. His job is to put the basketball inside of that orange thing, and he does it at a high level, man. He's in a good rhythm, a good flow, and we're going to keep feeding him, just like we want him to continue to be aggressive. That's what we need to be successful."

Doncic admitted the Mavs' defense needs to sustain enough physicality throughout a full game without fouling, but it hasn't happened as of late. He feels the team is challenging to defeat when they do play up to that standard. 

“I don’t know, we just got to be more physical – that’s it," Doncic said. "I think when we play physical 48 minutes, it’s hard to beat us. We got to play physically without fouling.”

The Mavs will face the Atlanta Hawks on the road on Friday on the first night of a back-to-back before facing the Sacramento Kings.