Suns vs. Mavericks: Everything you need to know about NBA playoff series Game 6
Phoenix Suns at Dallas Mavericks
Storyline: Game 5 in Phoenix Tuesday was this series' tipping point as the Suns routed the Mavericks by 30, the largest victory margin for either team. Both teams brought gritty physicality, on-court pettiness and smug commentary from their star players, as well as potential fisticuffs between two bench players.
There's an old sports adage that a playoff series doesn't begin until either opponent is the first to win a road game. Neither team has done that yet in this series, but the Suns have the chance to end the series in Dallas, up 3-2.
Two young Mavericks fans already did more than Pelicans' Jose Alvarado in the first round to get under Chris Paul's skin by touching Paul's mom after he fouled out in Phoenix's Game 4 loss on Mother's Day in Dallas. Expect that hostile atmosphere again there in Game 6.
The Suns' Big Three of Paul, Devin Booker, and Deandre Ayton, and the bench, exploded in Game 5's second half, but they'll need that same production to beat the Mavericks on their home court. Dallas thrives on 3-point shooting. That's how they beat the Suns in Games 3 and 4 at home, and they could push a Game 7 the same way.
Related: Suns look to close heated series vs. Mavericks in Game 6
Game 5 recap: Suns 1 win away from conference finals, defeat Mavericks by 30
Phoenix Suns playoff schedule
Game 1: Suns 121, Mavericks 114
Game 2: Suns 129, Mavericks 109
Game 3: Mavericks 103, Suns 94
Game 4: Mavericks 111, Suns 101
Game 5: Suns 110, Mavericks 80
Game 6: Suns at Mavericks, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 7: Mavericks at Suns (if necessary, TBD)
Key matchup: Luka Doncic vs. Mikal Bridges
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Guarding Doncic one-on-one isn't easy. But Bridges did a solid job on the island and in the post against him in Game 5, and both could be problematic to each other on Thursday.
The Defensive Player of the Year runner-up Bridges had his second-best game of this series producing 14 points, including two 3s, seven rebounds, and four steals. Three of his postseason career-high four steals in the third quarter, and some were from passes to Doncic and picking his pocket when he had the ball (Doncic tied backcourt mate Jalen Brunson's team-high four total turnovers).
Doncic (game-highs 28 points and 11 rebounds with two assists in Game 5) is the Mavericks' primary playmaker who tends to dribble for much of the shot clock on their possessions to create his own shots, or to free up ones for his teammates. Bridges' length, speed and quick hands make him one of the best in the league at rotating as the Suns shift and switch on defense. He's also tough for Doncic and the Mavericks to stop in transition as a trailer who skies for alley-oop dunks and hits key corner 3s. But Luka's 6-foot-7 size and high release on his jumpshot, strength, and impeccable timing in his separation tactics helps him hit buckets from deep and inside over and around defenders.
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Hot topics
— Will Chris Paul return to being one of the Suns' top scoring threats in Game 6 as he was in this series' first two games?
— Can the Suns defend against the Mavericks' 3-point shooting and dribble penetration well enough to close out the series in Dallas?
— Will the officiating in Game 6 penalize flopping?
— Can the Suns play and remain steadfast in their offense through questionable calls?
— Are fans going to see another big performance between Booker and Doncic?
— Is the Suns' bench going to make big contributions like it did in outscoring the Mavericks' second unit 38-23 in Game 5?
Somers: Suns adjust, use devastating third quarter to beat Mavs
For subscribers: 5 takeaways from Suns' Game 5 win vs. Dallas Mavericks
By the numbers: Key stats to know
— The Suns held Dallas to just nine assists in Game 5, the first time since 2016 that a team has been held to fewer than 10 assists in a playoff game.
— Game 5 marked the sixth time in franchise history the Suns have held their opponent to 80 or fewer points in a playoff game, while the 30-point win was the fifth time in the Suns' playoff history they've won by 30-plus.
— With his 24th point in Game 5, Booker became the 19th player in NBA history to score 800-plus points through a player’s first 30 career playoff games.
— The Suns hold an all-time series record of 10-2 in best-of-seven series when Phoenix holds a 3-2 series lead in that series.
— Dallas holds an all-time record of 17-22 (.436) in elimination games, having dropped its most recent four.
— Doncic (32.5 points per game) owns the second-highest career scoring average in playoff history (min. 10 games played), behind Michael Jordan (33.4 ppg). In the 2022 playoffs, Doncic's 30.9 ppg is second among all players behind the reigning two-time MVP and Nuggets big Nikola Jokic's 31.0 ppg. Doncic has produced 32.0 ppg on (46.4% shooting), 9.6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists through this Suns-Mavericks series' first five games.
Yikes: Biyombo-Chriss clash continued in tunnel after Suns' Game 5 win
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X-factor: Landry Shamet
The Suns' backup shooting guard had his best production of this series in Game 5, and was the second-best contributor behind their sixth man Cam Johnson (14 points on 5-of-8 FG, two steals, two rebounds, one assist and one block). Shamet had eight points, four assists, three rebounds, and one steal in 19 minutes. His aggression when attacking the paint helped him get to the line twice (3-of-4 FT), and he hit 1-of-3 from beyond the arc. That's the efficiency the Suns need from him as he substitutes or plays with Booker on the floor.
Suns coach Monty Williams said in Tuesday's postgame that Shamet has proved "he can guard and stay in front of the ball a lot better than most people think," spaces the floor well as a midrange, and 3-point threat, ball-handling ability and initiating plays with Booker. Shamet is shooting 38% this series, and Phoenix will need him to help to counter the Mavericks' deluge of 3s and play above the rim as he's also shown he can do.
Injury report
Suns forward Dario Saric (knee) is the only player on the Game 6 injury report.
Suns 'Fun Facts': Devin Booker | Chris Paul | Bismack Biyombo | Elfrid Payton | Cam Payne | Torrey Craig | Deandre Ayton | Mikal Bridges | JaVale McGee | Aaron Holiday
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Suns vs. Dallas Mavericks: What you need to know about Game 6
