Mavs Seek Defensive Improvement in Game 2 vs. Suns

The Dallas Mavericks struggled to get stops on defense early in their Game 1 loss to the Phoenix Suns. They seek to turn that around next game.

The Dallas Mavericks came up short in their 121-114 loss against the Phoenix Suns in Game 1. While a lot goes into the outcome of a given matchup, the lack of execution on defense in the first half played a significant role in the result. 

The Suns jumped out to an early 22-7 lead in Game 1 and rode that momentum all the way to a 69-point first half. Phoenix shot a highly efficient 28-44 (63.6 percent) from the floor and 6-12 (50.0 percent) from beyond the arc.

“I don’t think offense was the problem tonight. On the defensive end, I think everybody was a little bit lazy, especially in the first half,” Doncic said. “Now we got to change them.”

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Christian Petersen/Getty Images

A lot of the early damage done by the Suns' offense was led by Deandre Ayton, who scored 19 of his 25 points in the first half. There was little that the Mavericks' defense had done that worked to slow him down as he was able to shoot 9-12 (75.0 percent) overall. The ball found its way to him with the defense loading up on the star backcourt.

The Mavericks struggled to handle Devin Booker, too. He finished with 15 points and five assists in the first half. However, Dallas tightened up after the break and held him to eight points on just 2-11 (18.2 percent) shooting from the floor.

“Booker set the tone,” Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson said. “You got to give him credit. I think all of them from the jump were just ready to go. They just kind of applied the pressure. We just got to respond, and we can’t wait as long as we did. He’s a great player, he did a lot of great things and we just got to adjust.”

Outside of Chris Paul's production, the Suns experienced diminished results on offense in the second half. Phoenix was contained to shooting only 38.3 percent from the floor and 31.3 percent on 3s during this stretch. 

Getting off to a slow start before later building momentum was the theme for the Mavericks on both ends in Game 1. They will seek to get off to a faster start in Game 2 as opposed to "easing into the game," as Brunson described it. 

“Just figure out what we did wrong, play the game from the start instead of waiting, instead of easing into the game,” Brunson said. “But give them credit. We just got to bounce back.

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Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Part of the Mavericks' struggles early on may have had to do with poor communication in the raucous Footprint Center Arena. The Suns were clearly ready from the start and there were noticeable, uncharacteristic breakdowns from the Mavericks' defense in the first half.

“We talked about it as a team and we’ve got to be better,” Kidd said. “Those guys agreed that our communication was not at a high-level last night. And so, just understand we have to talk on both sides of the ball to find a way to win. All of us have to talk and we have to listen to what’s being said.”

The Mavericks have shown repeatedly throughout the 2021-22 season that they can bounce back from a slow half or a loss. The success they experienced in the second half of Game 1 will be studied and will be used to bounce back in order to avoid a 2-0 series deficit. 

“We’ve been able to bounce back more times than not after a loss,” Brunson said. “We just know what we have to do. 

"We know what we did wrong (and) where we can get better. It’s just how we’ve been able to grow this year. Now we’ve just got to continue to do that.”

In their first-round series against the Utah Jazz, the Mavericks lost Game 1 after seeing flashes of how effective deploying small ball lineups were. Dallas had Dorian Finney-Smith playing the five for much of the fourth quarter when they were at their best.