'Luka Magic' from Doncic plus Mavericks' defensive might creates 'special' formula as Dallas ties series

They call it 'Luka Magic' but for it to work to its full potential the rest of the Dallas Mavericks need to step up and help Doncic. They did and then some in Sunday night's 111-101 win over the Phoenix Suns.

We wrote before Game 3 about that very fact after Dallas struggled to help their star man in the first two games on the road. They had lost 11 straight games to the Suns and chances of a series renaissance were looking bleak despite 80 points from Doncic across the first two games.

At American Airlines Center it has been another story, as Dallas managed to disrupt Chris Paul on the offensive end. So much so, in fact, that he fouled out with just five points in Sunday night's win for the Mavs.

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Doncic praised Reggie Bullock and Dorian Finney-Smith as being pivotal in that defensive effort.

"I mean, that's Reg and Doe," said the Slovenian. "Those guys, man, their difference is unbelievable. Reggie, last game, he got hit in the ribs. He was barely taking a breath but he played the whole game. Today he was hurting but he still played.

"Those two guys are the warriors we follow. They are [key] guys on defense and offense."

Indeed. Finney-Smith drilled a career-high eight 3-pointers on 8-for-12 shooting, totalling a playoff career-high 24 points, and just one shy of the Dallas franchise playoff record of nine threes by Jason Terry in a Mother's Day rout of the Lakers 11 years ago.

He said: "Luka told me when I had five threes, he told me, 'You're about to get some more. When LD tells you you're about to get some more threes, I figured I was going to get some'."

As a team, Dallas was raining in triples throughout and matched its 20-made threes (going 20 of 44 overall) that the team achieved over the Lakers in 2011, a win that completed a four-game sweep in the second round on the way to the championship.

The Mavericks are playing beyond the first round for the first time since then and will be hoping it can act as an omen.

Doncic himself definitely believes that something "special" is happening.

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"The Phoenix Suns, we knew they're gonna make a run," said Doncic. "We stayed together. They had a team, but I think us staying together, playing physical was the key to this game.

"This team is amazing. Everybody can play. Everybody that gets on the court leaves everything out there. This team is special and if we play hard and we get stops, we're a dangerous team."

Jason Kidd appreciated the effort put in by his team in Game 4 to replicate the success of Friday's triumph over the Suns. Dallas fought through the pain, though, to get the win.

"Just understand in Game 4 we have to be exhausted," he told the team. "We have to feel we left everything out there. It's gonna hurt and you're gonna be tired."

Adding experience to talent

Despite choosing to concentrate his focus on the efforts of the team, Doncic delivered a masterclass in scoring and facilitating, scoring a team-high 26 points and dishing out 11 assists.

He has looked born for this stage from his first-ever playoff appearance and has now scored 655 points over his first 20 postseason outings, good for third-highest in NBA history behind just Wilt Chamberlain (705) and Michael Jordan (718). For a 'pass-first' player, that is an absolutely remarkable achievement.

Now, he's adding the playoff-savvy that comes with experience, and he has a remarkable amount of it for a guy who is just 23-years-old.

One of the key reasons Paul fouled out came from a cute bit of play by Doncic, as he tumbled toward the baseline after getting bumped by the veteran guard just before the halftime buzzer. It was very much a case of the apprentice showing he has watched one of the masters at drawing fouls, and then turned his powers against him.

The trick saw the refs chalk up a critical fourth foul on Paul, setting up the Dallas Mavericks to take control of the game.

"I saw he was going for the rebound and I was surprised," said Doncic. "He said to me, 'Did I push you that hard?' I said, 'No, not that hard. But it was a smart play.' And he said, 'Yeah, I know.'"

The move to the post

As pointed out in NBA.com analysis, since Dallas' Game 2 loss, Kidd made the savvy adjustment to play Doncic more in the post and the Suns don't seem to have an answer. Putting Doncic in the paint creates space for him to facilitate while allowing Jalen Brunson to attack downhill and his increased production has been key to the Mavericks' comeback so far in the series. It also keeps Doncic fresher, so he can remain a force on both ends late in games.

Phoenix initially believed the solution for Doncic down low was to make sure the on-ball defender could stay in front of him for two to three dribbles. A task that's easier said than done.

"I'm not quite sure anybody's put a guy on Luka that's totally shut him down," Suns coach Monty Williams said. "He knows how to pick his spots. He's got really good footwork."

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Early in the game, the Mavericks roasted the Suns with center Deandre Ayton in drop coverage. Eventually, the Suns started switching. That didn't work either. Phoenix experienced similar results when it played zone.

"I think when you put him in the post, he can score," Kidd said of Doncic. "But also, he gives avenues of other guys being able to score because he causes a problem. He's a very good passer. He's a willing passer. If we can get to the paint and get to the rim, it helps us and gives us an opportunity offensively to have some success."

How the series is looking

The victory against the Suns means it's all even in the series heading back to Phoenix on Tuesday night. Dallas are 7-7 in this situation in the NBA Playoffs and Phoenix are 8-9 so it's fairly tight to read if going by historical form.

For a more contemporary measure, Sunday's victory was the Mavericks' 25th win in their past 30 home games since the start of the new year. Confidence is high on their home floor and rightly so. Now, though, they have to steal a game on the road.

"I think our confidence was always great. I think we didn't play hard enough in the first two games," said Doncic. "Somebody's got to win four [games] and we can always believe until the end. [If] we have one per cent of a chance, we're going to believe that we're gonna fight for [that] spot."

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