Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks dominated the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs.
The Mavericks claimed the right to advance to face the Warriors by beating the Suns 123-90 in Sunday's Game 7.
After losing the first two games of the series on the road, Dallas won four of the next five games to finish off the series. The crowd at the Footprint Center booed the Suns at the halftime buzzer, when the 30-point deficit was the largest ever at the half of a Game 7, and frequently in the second half.
The Mavericks' 19-year-old sensation, Luka Doncic, punched his ticket to the conference finals for the first time with a 35-point, 10-rebound, four-assist performance in 30 minutes. The game was well in hand by the time he sat out the fourth quarter.
Doncic gave Dallas the lead for good with a jumper on the opening possession. He finished the first half with 27 points, matching Phoenix's total, and becoming the first player in at least 25 seasons to equal or exceed an opponent's scoring in a half of a playoff game.
In the first half, Spencer Dinwiddie scored 21 of his playoff career-high 30 points. It was the first time since 1997 that a pair of teammates scored at least 20 points in a half of a Game 7.
The Suns star trio of Deandre Ayton, Chris Paul and Devin Booker combined to make one of their 15 shots from the floor in the first half.
After coming up short in his first NBA Finals appearance, Paul didn't get a bucket until the Suns were down by 40 points. Booker didn't have his first basket until later in the quarter.
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