Luka Doncic scored 26 points and the Dallas Mavericks took advantage of Chris Paul’s foul trouble to beat the Phoenix Suns 111-101 on Sunday to even the Western Conference semifinal series at 2-2.
Paul was out of Game 4 early in the fourth quarter, a period in which he often dominated the Mavericks during an 11-game winning streak that ended in consecutive home wins for Dallas. Game 5 is Tuesday night at Phoenix.
Dorian Finney-Smith scored a career-high 24 points in the postseason, in the most 3-pointers made, in the regular season or playoffs. He shot 8 of 12 from long range, including two straight 3-pointers to give the Mavericks a 14-point lead midway through the fourth quarter.
Dallas matched his 20 3-pointers (20-for-44) from a Mother’s Day blowout of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2011, a win that completed a four-game second-round sweep en route to the championship. The Mavericks play beyond the first round for the first time since.
Devin Booker scored 35 points for the Suns, who lost two straight road games with a 2-0 lead, just as they did in last year’s NBA Finals. Milwaukee won the last four to hoist the title. Top-seeded Phoenix fell in back-to-back games for the first time in the playoffs.
Turnovers were Paul’s story in Dallas’ victory in Game 3, when the 37-year-old had the most in any half of his playoff career with seven before halftime.
