Jason Kidd says Mavericks need players besides Luka Doncic to step up with Dallas in 2-0 hole against Phoenix Suns

PHOENIX — Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd has delivered a similar message after both games so far in the Western Conference semifinals: Luka Doncic needs a lot more help against the top-seeded Phoenix Suns.

Dallas wasted another brilliant offensive performance by Doncic in Wednesday's Game 2, when he scored 35 points on 13-of-22 shooting in a 129-109 loss as the Suns seized a 2-0 series lead. The Suns repeatedly targeted Doncic defensively while scorching the Mavs for 71 points in the second half.

«He had a great game, but no one else showed,» Kidd said. «We've got to get other guys shooting the ball better. We can't win with just him out there scoring 30 a night — not at this time of the year. And we're playing the best team in the league, so we've got to get other guys going.»

Kidd specifically mentioned that the Mavs need much more production from guards Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie, who have combined for only 41 points on 32.6% shooting in the two losses at the Footprint Center. It's an especially stark contrast to the previous series for Brunson, who starred in the first-round victory over the Utah Jazz, averaging 27.8 points in the six-game series.

Chris Paul and Devin Booker, the Suns' All-Star guard, dominated on Wednesday night in part by relentlessly hunting Doncic. That was particularly the case in the second half, when Booker scored 21 of his 30 points and Paul scored 20 of his 28.

«Tough matchup to guard,» Booker said of Doncic, «but he's going to have to guard a bit.»

According to Second Spectrum tracking, Doncic was the screener defender on 19 on-ball screens in the second half, which is the third-most in any half in his career. The Suns averaged 1.81 points per chance on those possessions. That