The Dallas Mavericks fell to 3-5 in the Orlando Bubble, losing to the Phoenix Suns, 128-102. It was their last regular season game of the 2019-20 season.
Dallas already knew this game that they would play the Clippers while the Suns fought for their playoff lives. Entered as a 8.5-point favorite, it seemed like everyone expected Phoenix to take advantage of a Dallas team without their starting point.
Devin Booker, who will probably be called Bubble MVP, had a remarkable game from the tip. He scored 14 points in his first 11 minutes, leading his team to an 11-point lead after the first quarter. Boban Marjanovic did attempt a finish, but from an awkward position, sending the ball into the away fans. He finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds in the half. Despite an initial 18-point lead by Luka Doncic, the Suns went into the break with a 76-57 lead. That was thanks to Booker who added nine more points in quarter two, and a half of 13 points by Cameron Payne. The Suns shot just under 66 percent in the first half.
With Doncic resting the entire second half, the Suns had a good chance of blowing the doors open, and that’s exactly what they did. With the Mavericks starters resting, the Suns opened their lead for 25 by three quarters. Dallas did their best to make it through the final frame in good health and lost 128-102.
A good loss!
Let’s look at the bright side of things. With the Mavericks already locked in a playoff series with the Clippers, a win today would mean nothing. Actually, it would mean something, but only bad things. A win today would probably have sent the Mavericks into their first round positioning of the upcoming draft. Now, they have secured themselves with the 18th overall pick. In one of the most important designs of the Mavericks’ future, every pick counts and now they are in the first position to please a good role player.
Doncic played well in the 13 minutes he saw the court. He scored 18 points, including seven from the free throw line. He proved to be aggressive in drawing offenses on three-point attempts, which was an encouraging sign. He scored this beautiful course as well.
The game is slow for Luka Doncic.
Watch as he waits for Bridges to pick up and uses it against the Suns to free Ayton in no-men’s land before stepping aside and ending up pic.twitter.com/XJOHt9YjO5
– Nick Angstadt (@NickVanExit) August 13, 2020
Save your MKG … for now
I was pleasantly surprised by Kidd-Gilchrist’s defense against the Jazz a few games ago. Hell, I even wrote a whole article about it! But while it was exciting to see his defensive performances, it’s also important to note that it was against the scrubs of the Jazz. I found myself greedy, hoping there were more minutes in the rotation for him. But last night was the first time we saw him against starters, and it was not the least to say. So while Kidd-Gilchrist may have some more chances in the playoffs, it may be appropriate to slow down with some of the Kawhi Leonard stopper tasks I’ve seen in recent days.
