Game Recap: Suns continue to dominate in the clutch, beat Mavs 109-101

The Phoenix Suns in the clutch time are an absolute buzzsaw of destruction. They have been ever since Chris Paul arrived in Phoenix last season and it continued tonight.

The Suns ended the game on a 22-6 run to win by 8 after trailing for most of the game, trading punches with Dallas throughout. Phoenix finishes this 5-game road trip a perfect 5-0 and will head back to Phoenix as they look to extend their lead on the rest of the NBA in the standings.

Monty Williams said the Suns tried to take the hands out of Doncic’s hands down the stretch and make them adjust. Their defensive game plan certainly worked well tonight, suffocating Dallas for long stretches.

Phoenix forced Doncic and Brunson into a combined 14 turnovers between the two. Dallas had 19 turnovers as a team while Phoenix had just 7.

Key Stats

• Chris Paul- 20 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 blocks, 0 turnovers, 8-14 FG.
• Devin Booker- 28 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 11-25 FG.
• Luka Doncic- 28 points, 8 assists, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 9-23 FG.
• Jalen Brunson- 19 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 8-13 FG.

1st Half

Phoenix jumped ahead to a 5-0 start, holding Dallas scoreless for the first 2:30 of the game before Dallas got on the board. Dallas fought back to score 13 points in a flurry and take a 13-11 lead before the first timeout.

Booker continued to build off his hot scoring stretch of late, dropping 10 points in the first 8 minutes of action.

The shooting went cold for Phoenix, as they missed 11 straight threes after Booker made his first attempt of the game. Shooting 1-for-11 from deep in the first quarter is less than optimal.

Dallas led 26-22 after the first quarter of play led by Doncic’s 11 points. Booker had 12 in the opening quarter.

The cold shooting from three-point range continued for Phoenix, as they missed on their first 6 attempts to start the quarter.

The Mavericks started to build a lead taking advantage of the Suns' poor shooting, extending their lead to ten points by the score of 42-32 with 4:30 remaining. Phoenix quickly answered with an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 2 forcing a Dallas timeout.

Doncic went on a personal 5-0 run in 3 seconds to close out the half, extending the Dallas lead to 8 points. 53-45 at the half. Luka had 19 first-half points and Booker chipped in with 16. Phoenix shot 2-for-19 from deep in the first half.

2nd Half

To start the second half, the cold-shooting continued as Dallas built their lead up to 12 points.

Jae Crowder eventually busted them out of the massive three-point shooting slump with back-to-back threes. He (Crowder) scored 10 points in the first 7 minutes of the third.

Phoenix went on a terrifyingly quick 12-2 run to take a 69-68 lead and force a Dallas timeout with 4:54 remaining in the third quarter.

It was a game of runs, as Dallas went on one of their own due to their second-chance points off offensive rebounds in the third quarter.

The Mavericks took an 8-point lead into the 4th quarter, leading 82-74.

Chris Paul led off the 4th quarter with a triple to cut the lead down to 5. Jalen Brunson answered immediately with 4 straight points of his own in the next two possessions.

Dallas had a 12-0 advantage in second-chance points at this stage of the game. Phoenix clearly missed Ayton’s size at times throughout the game.

The Suns came storming back yet again, going on a 9-0 run to take a 96-to-95 lead.

It all came down to clutch time yet again, with the game in the final five minutes within 5 points. Per usual, the Suns turned it up a notch closing out on a 22-6 run.

Star of the Game

Chris Paul — 20 points, 11 assists, 0(!) turnovers, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block on 8-14 shooting.

Up Next

vs. Pacers on Saturday at 7:00 PM in the Footprint Center.