Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks appears during the second half of Game 6 of the Western Conference’s First Qualifier against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on April 28, 2022 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Alex Goodlett / Getty Images / AFP
Two teams hoping their top scorers can stay healthy will wrap up their best Western Conference semi-final series when the Dallas Mavericks visit the Phoenix Suns for Game 1 on Monday night.
Both teams overcame the absence of their young superstars in tough first matches. The Mavericks toppled the Utah Jazz, and the Suns survived the eighth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans, both winning in six games. But Dallas is without Luka Doncic and Phoenix is without Devin Booker for three of six competitions.
Doncic missed the first three games of the Utah series with a calf strain in the final week of the regular season as the Mavericks struggled to improve with the fourth seed in the West.
The league’s third top scorer in the regular season with 28.4 points per game, Doncic picked up right where he left off on his return for Game 4 in Utah, scoring 30, 33 and 24 points in the last three competitions, scoring two doubles and missing a third by a rebound.
“The first game, I was a little cranky,” he said of his comeback. “But I did feel better (in Game 5). I thought for the first few minutes I was tired, but after that I was fine. I think running in the third (quarter) I’m a bit tired too, but just need to get back on track. ”
The Mavericks won the series with a 98-96 win in Utah on Thursday, giving Doncic and his teammates three days off leading up to the Phoenix series.
Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns will appear against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center on April 28, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Chris Graythen / Getty Images / AFP
Booker injured – hamstring strain – in game 2 against the Pelicans, then sidelined until Thursday 115-109 clincher in New Orleans. He played 32 minutes in that game, contributing 13 points to the win.
Suns coach Monty Williams placate Booker back into action by taking him off the bench on Thursday of the second half, something he has no plans to do again in the future.
“I think we’re going to have a duel there (with) the look he’s giving me,” Williams said of sharing the news with Booker after the break. “We talked about it, but we have to stick to the plan because it will be easier to finish (the match) with him and keep his minutes relatively lower.”
Williams said he was convinced of Booker’s good health by focusing on him throughout the second half.
“We wanted to keep (his minutes) around 24 years old,” said the coach, “but he didn’t look like he was pulling (legs) or working at all. And he said to me, he said, ‘Coach, I feel fine, it’s strong, I have no problems.’ So I left him there.”
The Suns swept the season streak 3-0 from the Mavericks, with two wins with eight points and a third with seven. Two of the games took place in Phoenix, a back-to-back game in November that Doncic missed when he sprained his left knee and ankle.
Both Booker and Doncic scored 28 points in their only meeting in Dallas in January, a 109-101 win over the Suns.
All three meetings were held before the Mavericks traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Washington Wizards for Davis Bertans and Spencer Dinwiddie.
Dinwiddie averaged 15.3 points in the Utah series.
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