Luka Doncic Drops 50 Burger as Mavericks Surge Past Suns
PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns drop officially below the .500 mark after a 128-114 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas, thanks to Luka Doncic's 50-point game (first of the year and sixth of his career).
Here's how the action panned out:
First Quarter
Both teams got off to a fairly slow start, though Dallas got ahead early and controlled majority of the opening quarter.
Kevin Durant and Devin Booker (to no surprise) commanded Phoenix's attack early, as Drew Eubanks tallied first non star bucket with just over 7:00 left in first.
Dallas took 12-11 lead into first timeout. Their advantage eventually grew into double digits as the quarter progressed as the Suns struggled to hit open shots.
Full court defense was a theme for both teams, as Dante Exum picked Booker up upon immediate touch while Josh Okogie (off the bench) was eventually deployed vs Luka Doncic in similar fashion.
Dallas took a 36-24 lead into the second. Doncic finished with 17 points while nobody on Phoenix had over six.
Second Quarter
Chimezie Metu came on strong to begin the second quarter, eventually hitting ten points and seven rebounds as the Suns tried to erase their deficit.
Doncic checked back into the lineup with under 8:00 and immediately hit a three-point floater, forcing Suns coach Frank Vogel to call timeout. Dallas led 49-38 before the whistle.
Phoenix was able to hover around the nine-point deficit through most of the second, heading into the locker room down 64-54.
Doncic finished the second quarter with 24 points and eight assists. Metu led the Suns with 13 points and ten rebounds. Phoenix shot just 6-21 from three-point land.
Third Quarter
The Suns fired out of the gates and closed their deficit to just four points before Mavericks Jason Kidd called a timeout to stop the bleeding. Eric Gordon had eight points in that stretch.
The third quarter proved to be an improved product for Phoenix, who eventually took their first lead of the night after Grayson Allen stole the ball and hit a three-pointer on the ensuing possession, giving the Suns an 84-82 advantage.
Josh Okogie left with roughly three minutes left after rolling his ankle. He jogged to the locker room under his own power before shortly returning to the bench.
Booker and Grant Williams were assessed technical fouls after a minor scrum.
Phoenix finished the third quarter up 92-91.
Fourth Quarter
A pair of Durant free throws pushed Phoenix up 97-91 in the early portions of the fourth, though Doncic found his rhythm from three to ensure the Suns' lead didn't stretch too far.
A pair of shots from deep saw Doncic hit 44 points with over nine left to play to pair with 11 assists while Allen paced the Suns with 30 at the 9:07 timeout. Dallas soon regained the lead, 103-102.
Dallas pushed their advantage further to 113-106 at the 5:16 timeout
With 2:00 left, Dallas went up 121-112 and quickly saw fans hit the exits.
The Mavericks saw time dwindle and secured the win when the final buzzer hit.
