Chapter 537: Without Wade Dong, the Suns Defeat the Mavericks by a Large Margin

In just over a minute, the Mavericks had no means to counter the Suns; every time Phoenix scored, it was through team collaboration, with the ball moving swiftly.

If this continued, a timeout would be necessary!

The Mavericks were on offense.

Rondo patiently organized the play and waited until Nowitzki got into position before passing him the ball.

With Green defending him, Nowitzki executed his signature fadeaway jumper, still showcasing that familiar "one-legged" shot.

"Swish!!!"

The basketball went cleanly through the net.

Gentry had returned to his bench, unscrewing his thermos to sip his tea. "Nowitzki is a technical power forward; it's still a bit tough for Green to guard him one-on-one."

"Should I go in?" 

Whiteside, sitting behind Gentry, volunteered to enter the game.

"Let's wait a bit; we still have a lead of over ten points. No need to rush."

After saying this, Gentry muttered to himself, "How can I substitute before Carlisle does or call a timeout first?"

In this early part of the third quarter, the Suns' offensive rhythm was very fluid.

Gentry's little arrogance had returned...

85:69!!!

With 1 minute and 39 seconds left in the third quarter, the Suns led by 16 points.

Both teams had substituted in their bench players.

Suns: McCollum, Yinan, Tucker, Whiteside, Dinwiddie 

Mavericks: Harris, Chandler, Jefferson, Villanueva, Middleton

Middleton was having a terrible shooting night; however, Carlisle insisted on keeping him on the court. Despite missing several shots, there was no booing from the crowd.

The more this happened...

The more anxious Middleton became; he started to doubt himself—could he handle tough situations?

Harris brought the ball up and rushed a three-pointer that missed.

Chandler grabbed the offensive rebound and passed it out to Middleton. Middleton received the ball and shot again.

"G~~~"

This shot missed as well—now 6 for 21—Middleton's shooting percentage was below thirty percent... It was clear how poor his performance was tonight.

Yinan secured the defensive rebound and passed it to McCollum.

McCollum darted upcourt like a little steel ball, weaving through defenders for a layup.

87:69!!!

Jefferson attempted to go one-on-one against Yinan but missed his shot as Whiteside grabbed another defensive rebound.

Suns' offense resumed.

After several passes, Yinan took a mid-range shot.

"Swish!!!"

The basketball went cleanly through the net.

Despite all five players on the Suns being substitutes, this lineup excelled defensively... With height and physicality, Tucker, Yinan, Whiteside, and Dinwiddie all had solid individual defensive abilities.

93:71!!!

At the end of the third quarter, the Mavericks trailed by 22 points.

"Solid..."

Gentry sighed in relief. "The Mavericks' chances of making a comeback are slim now."

The Suns had many young players who had playoff experience; several players had even played in finals—including veteran Warrick—so they not only had energy but also plenty of playoff experience. In contrast, the Mavericks relied heavily on veterans.

Trailing by 22 points entering the fourth quarter meant they had essentially lost this game.

Seeing Gentry's demeanor suggested he wasn't planning on putting starters back in during the fourth quarter; Curry said: "I feel it's still not secure; let's go back in for a few more minutes."

"That works!"

Gentry nodded. "After all, it's playoffs; giving our all is the greatest respect we can show our opponents."

....

As the fourth quarter began,

Curry, Durant, and Green returned to the court while only Whiteside and Yinan remained from the bench.

As soon as play resumed,

Curry held the ball outside of three-point range against Harris's defense and launched a three-pointer.

"Swish!!!"

The basketball went cleanly through again.

96:71!!!

Next up was Jefferson's shot that was blocked by Whiteside. Durant grabbed the loose ball and charged upcourt before taking two steps inside the free-throw line for his jump shot.

"Bang!!!"

97:71!!!

Immediately after that Harris' pass was intercepted by Durant again.

The Mavericks quickly transitioned back on defense but with such a bench lineup how could they stop Durant's offense? He took another mid-range jumper.

"Swish!!!"

The basketball went cleanly through again.

99:71!!!

It looked like they were about to stretch their lead to 30 points. Carlisle's face turned grim—what would be the point of putting starters back in now?

The Mavericks missed another shot attempt.

Curry received a screen from Durant and drove past defenders into space before making an impressive behind-the-back bounce pass.

"Bang!!!"

Yinan followed up with a two-handed slam!

101:71!!!

In just over two minutes from trailing by 22 points to now trailing by 30 points—the Mavericks had allowed that margin to widen in just 2 minutes and 11 seconds with less than ten minutes left in this game. Gentry decided to substitute all his starters out.

"Damn!"

Carlisle smashed his tactical board in frustration. "What does Phoenix want? To kill us or break our spirits?!"

....

"Beep!!!"

With that final whistle from the referee, the game concluded.

123:87!!!

The Suns achieved a massive 36-point victory over the Mavericks at home.

Game Statistics:

- Curry: 27 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals

- Durant: 22 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals

- Thompson: 25 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

- Nowitzki: 17 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists

- Rondo: 7 points, 7 rebounds, 11 assists

- Middleton: 15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists

....

After the game ended, Middleton appeared somewhat downcast. Green approached him to offer comfort: "Buddy, is it because Dong Ge isn't here that you're struggling?"

"Is Dong Ge's injury serious?"

This was Green giving Middleton an easy way out; however, Middleton genuinely cared about Wade Dong's ankle injury.

Green replied: "Dong Ge's ankle isn't serious; he should be back in no time."

Middleton said: "I called Dong Ge but his phone has been off; there hasn't been any news about him on TV either."

"Shh..."

Green placed his finger over his lips and quietly reminded him: "You know Dong Ge's background—those crooked media outlets wouldn't dare fabricate stories about him."

"You have a point."

"How about grabbing a drink tonight?"

Green invited Middleton since they were stuck in Phoenix after two consecutive away games and wouldn't fly back to Dallas—it would be too much hassle otherwise.

"No thanks!"

Middleton shook his head. "Let's wait until after we finish this series; I need to get my rhythm back—I can't let down my team's expectations."

"Good luck out there!"

Green sincerely encouraged Middleton.

Many people didn't know that Green and Middleton had quite a good relationship—they were both drafted by Phoenix in the same year and experienced their rookie season together while winning their first championship together as well. 

Later on Middleton moved to Dallas while Green stayed with Phoenix but both brothers developed well—Green became an absolute mainstay for the Suns.