The second quarter opened with two outrageous step-back threes, followed by repeated attacks on switches against Ayton, Maka, Biyombo, Saric, and the rest of the big men, to tremendous effect.
By the final four minutes of the second quarter, Doncic had poured in 16 points, leading his team back in front and stretching the Mavericks' lead to five.
But the good times did not last.
Phoenix's adjustment came a little slowly, but it was the right one.
Their newly acquired wing defender, Dillon Brooks, was brought into the game.
Having earned the head coach's trust, Dillon made an immediate contribution the moment he stepped onto the court.
He began hounding Doncic with relentless, suffocating defense.
He used constant contact and physical confrontation to disrupt Doncic's handle, forcing him into a rhythm he disliked and successfully containing him.
There was no denying that Dillon did a pretty good job as Doncic's primary defender.
At least in the closing stretch of the second quarter, the results were very good.
Luka, who had been running rampant with a phenomenal performance, soon found himself in a difficult spot.
He was unsettled and uncomfortable with the heightened defensive intensity Dillon had deliberately imposed.
And before long, Doncic's old habits resurfaced.
He began trying to use his "acting" to draw fouls on Dillon, and arguing his case to the referees in hopes of getting favorable calls.
At first, this approach did have some effect.
Doncic soon managed to draw an unsportsmanlike foul on Dillon with a flop.
Unfortunately, that tactic did not keep working for long.
For one thing, Dillon was indeed a very intelligent defender. He was excellent at adapting to the referees' standards and quickly adjusted again.
For another, Doncic's constant gestures, complaints, and demands for foul calls inevitably stirred some resistance among the