Dallas Basketball

Mavs Teach Suns a Lesson: Like Dirk Nowitzki Before Him, Luka Doncic Is Not To Be Mocked - Game 7 Blowout Live Scoring

The winner of Game 7 is Dallas. The Mavs will face the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals on Wednesday.

SI Editorial

The Dallas Mavericks have reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time since the 2011 championship season. The Mavs beat the odds in the winner-take-all Game 7 vs. the Suns on Sunday night; Home teams win Game 7 of a best-of-seven series 76.8 percent of the time (109-33).

And the home team had also taken each of the first six games of the 2022 Western Conference Semifinals and during the regular season the Suns compiled the NBA’s best home record at 32-9.

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But Sunday was ... different. Dallas 123, Phoenix 90 represents one of the most lopsided outcomes in NBA Playoffs history.

FINAL: As he walked to the visiting locker room with his teammates after a Game 5 loss, Luka Doncic sent a mumbled-but-pointed message back to the Suns and Devin Booker, who had mocked him with a theatrical "Luka Special.''

"Everybody acts tough,'' Doncic said, fuming, "when they’re up.”

The NBA lesson learned? Like Miami and LeBron James and Dwyane Wade making fun of Dirk Nowitzki the last time Dallas stormed this far into the playoffs ...

Don't mock Luka Doncic.

The Slovenian star shows up when it matters most. Coming into Sunday, Doncic was averaging 39 points per game in postseason elimination games, which is the highest in NBA history during postseason elimination games.

And now? Doncic scored 35 in this embarrassment of the Suns. At halftime, he had 27 - and so did the entire Phoenix team. With help from Spencer Dinwiddie's 30, the Mavs were able to empty their bench late (well, actually, early) as the franchise that hopes to go back to The Finals as it did 11 years ago takes one big step in that direction with a WCF against the Golden State Warriors that commences this week.

The Mavs' 33-point win is the biggest margin of victory by a road team in a Game 7 in 75 years. And the comeback from being down 0-2 against the NBA's best team? Wow.

"That,'' Luka said after the game, "was amazing.''

THIRD QUARTER: Mavs 92, Suns 50 ... Really?

Really.

Dallas now has it on cruise control and still ... A "Luka Special''? Yes, with 35 points (12-of-19, 6-of-11 from the arc) with 10 rebounds and four assists.

Spencer Dinwiddie has 26.

And what do the Suns have? Nothing, really.

HALFTIME: It's a blowout. Not permanently, yet. But as of halftime, with Doncic totaling 27 points - matching the entire Phoenix output? And with Dallas up 57-27? A 30-point edge? And with Spencer Dinwiddie (21) scoring at a level almost matching Luka's?

We are halfway to the Western Conference Finals.

Oh, and the Suns fans are done hating Luka. They're now booing the home team. ... as Devin Booker and Chris Paul have combined for three points.

FIRST QUARTER: The Suns finished the first quarter with a mini-comeback but are down 27-17.  Doncic dominated play as he had a 12-8-3 line in the quarter.

Our pal Brad Townsend suggested on Twitter than Suns fans are wrong to think of Luka as the “villain.” But surely Brad knows better.

Luka is “The Villain.” And he LIKES it.

LUKA MAGIC: Doncic (32.5 points per) owns the second-highest career scoring average in playoff history, just behind Michael Jordan (33.4).

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RECORDS: DALLAS MAVERICKS (3-3) at PHOENIX SUNS (3-3)

WHEN: Sunday, May 15, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. CT

LOCATION: Footprint Center (Phoenix, AZ)

TV/RADIO: TNT, BSSW, 97.1 The Eagle (KEGL)

DALLAS INJURY REPORT: Tim Hardaway Jr. (left foot surgery) is out.

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Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

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Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

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Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

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ODDS: The Mavs are currently 6.5-point underdogs to the Suns.

NEXT: The winner of Game 7 will face the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals on Wednesday.

LAST WORD: “I like when people trash talk me. It gets me going. It’s fun. It’s basketball," said Doncic, who did his fair share of trash talking as the Mavs dominated the Suns in Game 6. "There is going to be a lot of trash talk. I like it. It’s fun for me. It’s competitive basketball and I like it.”

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