Phoenix, May 16 (BNA): Luka Doncic scored 35 points, Spencer Dinwiddie added 30 points and the first-seeded Dallas Mavericks stunned the Phoenix Suns by 123-90 in Game Seven on Sunday evening to advance to the Western Converse Finals for the first time. Since 2011.
Dallas broke through after the home team won the first six games of the series, dominating in a hostile environment from start to finish. On the contrary, the lack of attendance was an embarrassment for the playoff-tested Suns — who advanced to the NBA Finals last season with a very similar roster, the AP reports.
The fourth-seeded Mavericks travel to meet Golden State in Game One on Wednesday.
Doncic got the Mavs an early lead, making their first three shots, including two 3-pointers. That helped Dallas have a 27-17 advantage in the first quarter and a massive 57-27 cushion in the break.
Doncic and Dinwiddy, who both came off the bench, combined to score 48 of 57 points for the Mavericks.
Game 7 Drama? Not in the desert.
Simply put, the Suns seemed to be soaked in the pressure of Game 7. They missed the shots they normally would, made poor passes they wouldn’t normally and didn’t look like the team that won their best 64 NBA games during the regular season.
By the end of the first half, many Suns fans were booing the ugly show.
The series might have been close but the single games weren’t. Three of the first six matches were decided by at least 20 points and none of the final matches were captured.
Game 7 followed a similar pattern, except that the team that did all the damage was the road team. Doncic was fantastic, taking shots from all over the ground and finishing with 12 of 19 from the field, including 6 of 11 in 3s. He also got some help: Dinwiddie was fantastic in the first half with 21 points on a 7 of 10 shot, including 4 of 5 from a 3-point range.
Meanwhile, the backyard area of the All-Star Phoenix of Chris Paul and Devin Booker wasn’t a factor at all. The 37-year-old Paul is a 12-time All-Star and has done just about everything in the game except win a championship.
After this setback, it’s fair to wonder if there are more opportunities. Booker finished with 11 points and shot 3 of 14. Paul scored 10 points and four assists. The Suns only shot 37.9% from the field.
Dallas beat the odds with a win: After defeating the Celtics earlier on Sunday, the home team was 110-33 (77%) in the NBA 7s.
It’s the second year in a row that the Suns have lost the playoffs series after leading 2-0. They won their first two games against the Bucks in the NBA Finals last season before losing four games in a row.
Hint
Mavericks: Doncic and Dinwiddy were the first teammates to have at least 20 seventh game points in Game 7 since Patrick Ewing and Alan Houston for the Knicks in 1997, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Suns: Phoenix fired only 6 out of 23 (26.1%) from the field in the first quarter. …The Suns hosted another crowd of sellouts at the footprint center. Celebrities in attendance included great baseball player Alex Rodriguez and rapper Lil Wayne. … The Suns are the second team in NBA history to win at least 64 regular season games and not reach the Conference Finals. The other is the Mavericks in 2007. … Phoenix hasn’t won a title since entering the league in 1968.