PHOENIX SUNS
By the numbers: The Phoenix Suns’ 2-game road stretch vs. Mavericks
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) shoots past Dallas Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith (10) and forward Maxi Kleber (42) during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Friday, May 6, 2022, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
After looking like the far more superior team through the first two games of the series, the Phoenix Suns have watched their two-game Western Conference semifinals lead over the Dallas Mavericks dwindle to a 2-2 stalemate.
A pair of lackluster showings in Dallas can be to blame.
While Phoenix looks to get back to what worked early on in the series, here’s a look back at what went wrong on the road:
A trip to forget for CP3
Suns point guard Chris Paul turned 37 years old the same day as the team’s Game 3 matchup in Dallas.
His final line was not something to celebrate, however, as he turned the ball over seven times on his way to 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
All seven of his turnovers came in the first half, as did his four fouls. It was a pair career firsts to forget for Paul.
The point guard’s foul (10) and turnover (nine) totals combined outpaced his scoring output in the two-game stretch (17)
Turnovers galore
It wasn’t just Paul turning the rock over in Dallas the past two games.
As a team, the Suns posted 17 turnovers in back-to-back outings for the second time this season. The only other time Phoenix turned the ball over at least 17 times in back-to-back games was during a pair of regular games last December against the Washington Wizards (19) and the Chicago Bulls (17).
Including the team’s Game 2 win, the Suns have turned the ball over at least 16 times over three straight outings this series.
Not quite the same output
For the first time all playoffs, Phoenix failed to crack the century mark in Game 3’s 103-94 loss to Dallas.
No Suns player scored at least 20 points in the defeat, with Jae Crowder leading the way with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting (5-of-8 from long range). Guard Devin Booker was right behind him with 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting (4-of-6 from deep).
Phoenix had little to no problems putting up points at home, outscoring Dallas 250-223, but lost that battle on the road 214-195.
The Suns hadn’t scored less than a 100 points since a 117-96 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 3.
The Suns and Mavericks are back in action Tuesday at 7 p.m. Tune to 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.
