The Phoenix Suns won’t be denied in the clutch. Marking their seventh straight win, hustle at the end paved the way for the Dessert. However, it didn’t come without an unyielding Dallas Mavericks team emptying their fuel tanks. In particular, Luka Doncic’s handprint was spread across the board. But he might have pushed himself to the very edge.

The game was agonizing for the Slovenian. His game-high 30 points helped the Mavs stay in the hunt after falling behind by 13 points in the first half. Toward the end, though, a controversial whistle angered Doncic, who mouthed off at the officials after the end of the thrilling encounter between the two West powerhouses.

Yet, that wasn’t the most noticeable Doncic memory from the game. After supplying a cheeky lob pass to Daniel Gafford to tie the game, the 25-year-old held his right ankle, limping for a few seconds before moving to the team bench for the timeout. It appeared that the Suns’ Jusuf Nurkic tripped over his right ankle while trying to deter Doncic’s pass for Gafford.

Previously, Luka Doncic dealt with a left calf contusion during preseason, which prevented him from participating in any action before the regular season. The Mavs ace had only just begun finding his rhythm, averaging 30.4 points, and 8.8 assists while shooting 40% from three. His injury is yet to be updated.

The Suns remain poised in the clutch against Luka Doncic and Co.

There have been times the Suns have had to battle while on the brink of defeat. Ironically, that’s when the Suns have been at their best, improving significantly from last season. With an 8-1 record now, the win against the Mavericks was their third straight in the clutch. Likewise, buckets from Kevin Durant and some gritty Nurkic sequences helped the Suns extinguish the Mavs on the road.

Phoenix has played the most games in the clutch so far, seven to be specific. They remain unfazed in this time, shooting 52.2% in the period, the fifth-best in the league. Furthermore, among the teams with at least five nail-biting games, the Suns average the second most points in the clutch, generating 12.6 points.

A core reason for their success is the variety of combinations they have on offer. Tonight, Royce O’Neale, a part of the bench unit, primarily became a huge contributor to the Suns’ win. The 31-year-old missed only one shot, leading the Suns’ bench with 18 points. He outscored the Mavericks bench by himself, shooting a perfect 4-4 from three.

Nurkic, the veteran center on the Suns, stood compact in the paint when the Suns needed as many possessions to retake the lead they had lost. All of his three offensive rebounds came in the fourth quarter. The final grab eventually led him to the free-throw line where the former Trail Blazers center sealed the game by splitting his attempts.

They successfully neutralized Luka Doncic from making a direct impact, as he added 4 points on 2-7 shooting aside from his two assists in the final period of the game. After an embarrassing first-round sweep, the Suns, under a new coaching group, have started this season looking sensational.

Do you think this is finally their year? Let us know your views in the comments below.