Watch: "The Luka special!" - Devin Booker pulls a Luka Doncic to stay down, slyly looks into the camera while trying to sell an apparent flagrant foul on Dorian Finney-Smith
Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns have halted Luka Doncic's and the Dallas Mavericks' winning momentum. This came after Phoenix pulled off the biggest win of the series for any team when they beat Dallas by 30 points in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals.
The Suns are now up 3-2 in the seven-game series, having won the latest contest 110-80 on Tuesday night in Phoenix.
NOT DONE YET! https://t.co/iCYGos7i0z
The game was a tight affair over the first two quarters, with the Phoenix Suns leading the Dallas Mavericks by only three points (49-46) at the half-way mark.
However, the Suns ramped up their defensive effort coming out of the break. They forced the Mavericks into double-digit turnovers and outscored their opponents 33-14 in the third period to open up a big lead in their favor.
What made matters more interesting was that Dorian Finney-Smith fouled Devin Booker midway through the third period as the Phoenix superstar attacked the basket. Smith was initially called for a common foul, but the foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 1 penalty by the officials upon review.
However, a closer examination of the play showed Booker selling the contact after being fouled by Smith. Booker even smiled at his teammates and fans when they went to pick him up as he pulled off a Luka Doncic impression in the process.
Booker was heard saying, "The Luka special," as he was helped to his feet, a clear indictment of the Dallas superstar's penchant for exaggerating contact during the series.
“The Luka special!” -Book 👀 https://t.co/y0UjH8URlM
Phoenix Suns take 3-2 series lead as Devin Booker and Luka Doncic score 28 points each
Devin Booker and Luka Doncic finished with 28 points each in Game 5. The difference was that Booker, like his team, had a much more efficient shooting game than Doncic and Dallas.
Booker finished with 28 points on 11-of-20 (55.0%) shooting and 3-of-7 (42.9%) from distance. Phoenix, similarly, finished with a fairly solid shooting display of 49.4% from the field.
Book brought the firepower ☄️
Tonight's @FanDuel Stat Line of the Game! https://t.co/MM5AkSaEmG
Doncic, on the other hand, endured a rough shooting night. The Dallas superstar shot 10-of-23 (43.5%) from the field and was just two-of-eight (25.0%) from downtown.
Dallas mirrored Doncic's struggles, with the team shooting an underwhelming 38% from the floor and only 25.0% from downtown en route to their 80-point performance. It is the lowest score by any team in this series.