Mavs vs. Suns Game 7: Luka Doncic All Smiles After Blowout Win, Devin Booker Sad Over ‘Ass Whooping’

Nothing else brings greater excitement to basketball fans than watching a Game 7 in an NBA playoffs series, as it is expected to bring the most intense do-or-die battle on the hardcourt between opposing teams.

However, this Sunday's Mavs vs. Suns Game 7 in the Western Conference semi-finals turned out to be the opposite as the fourth-seeded Dallas Mavericks blew out the Phoenix Suns, the league's best team, on their home court. The final score: was 123-90.

Doncic made 12 of 19 shots to produce 35 points, with Spencer Dinwiddie adding 30 points as the Mavericks torched the Suns and advanced to the Western Conference finals, where they will meet the Golden State Warriors.

Underdogs Dominated the Whole Game

Phoenix's players sat on the bench at halftime with lifeless faces, while Luka Doncic of the Mavericks was all smiles after scoring as many points as Phoenix in the first half: 27.

"I can't get this smile off my face. I'm just really happy. Honestly, I think we deserved this," the Slovenian superstar guard said.

Given Phoenix's championship experience the previous season, as per The New York Times, Dallas was considered the underdogs in that game. However, the Mavs led by 46 points in the second half and never trailed per Yahoo! Sports.

"I know we were the underdogs," Doncic said. "Everybody had the Suns to win this one, but the whole locker room believed and that's what won us the game."

Pounded From Beginning Till The End

Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker didn't hold back after their devastating loss to the Dallas Mavericks. He called it as it was, an "ass-whooping."

Clutch Points reported that a reporter asked what his mindset was heading into halftime down 57-27. Booker's answer was as blunt as honest as it gets.

The Suns' guard told the members of the press after the game that he thought about "making a push." But it did not happen.

We say, 'crazier s**t's been done,' we stuck with that mindset. We didn't have it coming out of half either. That was a good, old-fashioned ass-whooping, beginning to end," Booker explained.

To say the least, Booker's first Game 7 performance was lackluster. In a -41 performance, he scored 11 points on 3-of-14 shooting. With Chris Paul's terrible run persisting over the last four games, the Mavs' utilized a simple strategy: double-team Booker and take the ball away from him. It was successful. The Suns struggled because Booker couldn't overcome the Dallas defense style.

The Suns' formerly bright future has been cast into doubt as a result of their embarrassing loss. Booker must perform better to avoid another ass beating in the future, especially in crucial moments.

The Suns struggled in their offense, making just 37.9% of their total shots, according to an ESPN report. Mavericks Head Coach Jason Kidd sensed that.

"You could see some of the pressure was on them early. They missed some shots they normally make," he said.

The Suns have now lost two consecutive postseason series after taking a 2-0 advantage. Last season, they won the first two games of the NBA Finals against the Bucks. Then they lost four consecutive games in the best-of-seven series.

Tags

NBA, NBA Playoffs, Dallas mavericks, Phoenix suns