By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
It was a close game through and through but the Dallas Mavericks came out victorious against the Utah Jazz with 98-96 on the scoreboard, despite the latter having a good shot at turning the tables. The Mavs won the series 4-2.
Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson led the scorer for the winning team with 24 points each while Luka also added nine rebounds and eight assists. Spencer Dinwiddie scored 19 while Dorian Finney-Smith delivered 18 points, ten boards, and five assists.
For Utah, Donovan Mitchell logged 23 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds while Bojan Bogdanovic scored 19. Rudy Gobert had ten points and 12 boards.
Although it was a close battle, and it was a fairly low-scoring game, Utah’s defense wasn’t up to par. They failed at softening the impact of mismatches after switching on pick and roll, which would leave the big guys, especially so Gobert, on Doncic most of the time. That allowed for the Mavs to drive and kick out the ball every time for a good three-point look. A few of those actually decided the outcome of Game 6.
Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns got past the New Orleans Pelicans with 115-109 and 4-2 in the series. They will Dallas in the quarterfinals.
Chris Paul stepped up to the occasion with 33 points, eight assists, and four rebounds while DeAndre Ayton scored 22. Mikal Bridges had 18 while Devin Booker, who was injured in the previous game, scored 13.
On the opposing side, Brandon Ingram delivered 21 points, 11 assists, and five rebounds while Herb Jones and CJ McCollum scored 16 each.
Despite getting eliminated, the Pelicans finish the season on a high note with good boost for the next campaign in which the team should be able to count on Zion Williamson.