How Mavs Can Keep Suns' Booker, Paul In Check Again In Game 7

The Dallas Mavericks' defense kept Phoenix Suns superstars Devin Booker and Chris Paul in check in Game 6. How did they get it done?

The Dallas Mavericks came off a 110-80 blowout loss against the Phoenix Suns in Game 5. With a 3-2 series deficit entering Game 6, the team needed a strong bounce-back performance defending home-court to stay alive. They did just that with a 113-86 victory. 

There was a clear emphasis from the Mavericks to minize the number of opportunities Devin Booker and Chris Paul faced to get into the middle of the floor for short-range pull-up jumpers. Cranking up the ball pressure was key as well to prevent the Suns from getting into their offense.

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

From a matchups standpoint, the Mavericks adjusted to have Frank Ntilikina primarily responsible for slowing down Paul while Reggie Bullock mainly checked Booker. With Dorian Finney-Smith's minutes limited to 25 due to foul trouble, having other options to throw on the Suns' top options was crucial. 

"Reggie [Bullock] was great tonight – he’s been great all series for us," Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. "We've asked him to guard everybody and he's been up for the challenge. (Devin Booker) is an incredible player. Reggie, I thought did a good job."

Booker had been quite effective over his previous two performances. During this span, he averaged 31.5 points and shot 21-42 (50.0 percent) from the floor, 6-13 (46.2 percent) on 3s, and got to the line 17 times. Containing his scoring became a clear top priority fo the Mavericks in Game 6.

In Game 6 Booker was contained to 19 points while shooting just 6-17 (35.3 percent) from the floor, he came up empty on all four of his 3-point attempts, and he racked up eight turnovers. None of the Suns' players reached the 20-point threshold. 

“I knew we were going to make some adjustments, but it was just a game plan the coaches put together," Bullock said. "I found out today that I was going to be on [Booker], but it is just another assignment for me. He is a good player. He is a tough player. I just tried to make things tough for him.”

The Mavericks not only made it a point to take away the Suns' basic use of their typical high ball screen sequences, but they were also applying aggressive ball pressure to force 22 turnovers. 

"I don’t think we’ve had a game all season where we combine for that many turnovers," Paul said. "We’ll look at the film and see what we’ve got to do better." 

How did the Mavericks' manage to accomplish these results? 

Against Paul, the Mavericks understood they needed to take away the gap in the middle of the floor for Paul as much as possible. If they were successful in making him attack an outside driving lane, they made sure to have the tag defender waiting for the pass to the rim roller — knowing the skip pass isn't easy for a small guard.

When Paul did get to the middle of the floor, the Mavericks made it a priority to attack the ball to prevent him from gaining a rhythm for his regular pull-up or pass to the roller. Whether a trailing defender attacked his dribble or a help defender came to crowd him after picking up his dribble, there was greater pressure.

Whether it was Booker or Paul with the basketball, the Mavericks stayed active waiting for opportunities to attack a pass. Bullock did this frequently when guarding Paul previously in this series, but there was an emphasis from the unit to bring that same focus in breaking up passing lanes. 

“It was so tough because [the Mavericks] put a lot of pressure to where we weren’t getting into our offense," Ayton said. "We were getting so many turnovers they were on the fast break almost every other time down. 

At the beginning of the game, Booker was able to get space to attack Bullock in isolation — getting downhill into an open gap for a short-range score on both possessions. With how tightly Bullock was engaging him out on the perimeter, Booker saw the opportunity to get by him. 

It became clear that a defender needs to engage him earlier if he gets past him at the point of attack. Whether it's the big defender committing to containing the ball without fouling in pick-and-roll coverage or a deep help rotation on a drive, the Mavericks tightened up significantly on containing Booker getting downhill. 

The Mavericks emphasized getting a contest on Booker's catch-and-shoot jumpers to avoid allowing him to gain a rhythm. All it takes is a few jumpers to drop and he can get hot. If he can be forced to reload and shoot it's an ideal outcome, but at least getting a contest is a must.

When the "head of the snake" is contained, it's too challenging for any offense to produce in the playoffs. For the Suns, Paul has taken a casual approach throughout games to preserve himself for the fourth quarter to act as a closer. Containing Booker would in the earlier stages of the game can throw off their offense. 

Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

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The Suns shooting 6-18 (33.3 percent) from 3-point range played a significant role in the Mavericks' success. Getting shooters off the line or making a contest is a must to shrink the floor against Paul and Booker. Phoenix is averaging just 26.0 attempts from 3-point range this series but are shooting 41.0 percent. 

In a Game 7, the priority from both sides is to attack whatever advantages at their disposal as possible. The Suns have shown they will get Doncic out in space to attack him and put the Mavericks' defense out of rotation. Doncic made a few plays in help defense, but also showed he's not going to lay down in ball screening actions. 

The Mavericks will need Doncic to shoulder heavy usage in Game 7 as he always does, but he will need to have enough in the tank to guard at a high level, too. When shots are dropping from the Suns' shooters on their home floor it becomes more challenging for the Mavericks' defense as a whole.

“We got some dogs over here. This team has been grinding it out all season. I am pretty sure no one has us winning Game 7. We keep our head down," Bullock said. "We keep working and we believe in our abilities that we put on both ends of the floor. We believe in the coaching staff. The fans give us a lot of energy at home. We just came out and poured it out tonight.”

It will take another major effort from the Mavericks' defense in Game 7 to pull off consecutive performances keeping the Suns' offense in check. With an appearance in the Western Conference Finals at stake, that shouldn't be an issue for either side to get up to compete.