In a sloppy Game 6, the Mavericks were able to take the win from Utah 98-96. The win came on a wide open miss three-pointer by Bogdanovic in the closing seconds of the game. With this win, the Mavericks win the series against Utah 4-2 and move on to the second round of the playoffs. This also marks the end of 11 years of no playoff success, with the Mavericks since that point not making it to the second round since their championship run in 2011. Luka Doncic would be the leading scorer with 24 points and 8 assists, and Dorian Finney-Smith would have 10 rebounds and 18 points.
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For the past 11 years, Mavericks fans had to endure playoff disappointment and heartbreak. But it was the last two playoff series that hurt the hardest. The Maverick fans saw the Mavericks come so close to advancing, but to collapse and fail in the end. From losing Porzingis in the 2019-2020 playoffs against the Clippers, to them blowing a 2-0 lead against the Clippers in 2020-2021. But things have changed with this Mavericks team. With new coach Jason Kidd, the Mavericks transformed into a defense force and multiple players stepping up throughout this season. This allowed the Mavericks to get the crucial win against Utah and move on win the series and go to the second round.
The Mavericks’ next opponent will the be the number one seed Phoenix Suns who just recently got back Devin Booker. Even though the Phoenix Sun hold the number one seed, they have been struggling in the playoffs and it will not be easy series to win for both teams. The only certain thing is that this series will be an exciting one.