Suns' Biyombo follows Chriss into tunnel after ejection in Game 5

- Suns-Mavericks: Full series coverage.

DALLAS - Phoenix coach Monty Williams can at least take comfort in the fact that the Suns have the best record in the NBA regular season, especially since neither they nor the Mavericks won away from home in their Western Conference semifinal series.

"We have worked our butts off to be in this position," he said. "When people say the regular season does not mean anything ... yes, it does. It allows you to get that opportunity and that advantage."

With a home win in Game 5, the Suns have secured two chances to knock off the Mavs and advance to the Conference Finals for the second straight year. If they can not win Thursday's Game 6 at American Airlines Center in Dallas (9:30 ET, ESPN), they'll return to the friendly confines of the Footprint Center for Game 7.

Phoenix has a record of 10-2 in a best-of-seven series when they lead 3-2. "They are a fantastic team," Mavericks superstar guard Luka Doncic said.

But as good as they have been in the regular season and through the first 11 games of the playoffs, the Suns have yet to find a way to topple Dallas in this series on their home court. From the 2019-20 regular season through 2021-22, Phoenix has beaten the Mavs four straight times at American Airlines Center. But in the postseason, both teams remain beatable on their home court.

"I think that's a credit to the fan bases," Dallas guard Jalen Brunson said. "Our fan base is great for us. Their fan base is great for them. Home court advantage is a real thing."

The Mavericks learned that the hard way Wednesday at Footprint Center, where Phoenix beat them three times by an average margin of 19 points. Dallas had the fewest turnovers (9.7) of any team in the playoffs before that game. But in the third quarter of Game 5 alone, the Mavs allowed themselves 12 missed shots. That's the first time since the New York Knicks in 2012 that a team finished a quarter with that many missed shots in the postseason.

The Suns scored 24 points off Dallas' 18 turnovers and played the two-way ball that has been the club's trademark all season. But in the games at American Airlines Center, the Mavericks found a way to shut down Phoenix's stout defense, averaging 107 points in their two victories.

"Defense, that's what got us going," Suns center Deandre Ayton said after Game 5. "We ran when we stopped, closed out the possession and today I felt like we were on the offensive boards a lot. All of that brought so much energy and momentum to the games, man.

"I think at one point we had three 3s in a row, but we missed them all. But we were just so happy with the second effort we made and the good shots we got.

Phoenix looks to continue on that path against a Dallas team that has proven it can make that virtually impossible at American Airlines Center. The Mavericks' margin of victory at home (9.5) is not as large as Phoenix's. But we have seen Doncic routinely cook the Suns as a scorer and facilitator for a team that leads the NBA in postseason threes made (15.2 per game).

Dallas hit just 8-of-32 from distance in Game 5, less than half of the 16.5 threes it averaged through the first four games of the series.

"They are going to live and die by the 3," Ayton said. "They have got great shooters over there and you have just got to have some sense of urgency when you open up to them because they can also put the ball on the floor and put you in a blender.

Williams said after Game 5 that he firmly believes "defense travels." "It's the one thing you can do in any gym," he said.

But so far, we have not seen that from either team on the road. That should at least give Dallas a spark of optimism about staving off elimination and forcing Game 7.

Picking up the tempo and relentlessly attacking the paint, Doncic said, could solve many of the problems that surfaced in Dallas' offense in Game 5.

"When they are set up well (defensively), they are one of the best, if not the best, defensive teams in the NBA," Doncic said. "They held us to 80 points and that's pretty impressive. So we have to move the ball better and faster. I think the stats are amazing when we touch the paint, and that's on me.

"I have to attack the paint more. We have to go back home and play like we do at home. I know our fans are going to be amazing."

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