Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams' job is simple heading into Sunday's Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks. All he needs to do is take the Game 3 film, dig a hole and toss the tape in. Lighting it on fire is optional.

The Suns put up a dud in Dallas Friday night, dropping the third game of the Western Conference 103-94. The loss drops their series lead to 2-1. It was the worst performance from Phoenix of the playoffs thus far and its first team failing to reach the 100-point threshold.

But unlike their first-round battle with the New Orleans Pelicans, the Suns should keep the “panic button” locked away and hidden. This game was flukey all-around and they're still en route to closing this series in Phoenix early next week.

Three reasons the Suns shouldn't panic

  1. An all-timer from 37-year old

Chris Paul's Game 3 was an all-time playoff performance for the man that celebrated his 37th birthday Friday. Unfortunately for him, it was a persona all-time bad playoff performance.

Paul turned the ball over 7 times in the loss, all in the first half. His previous game-high in the playoffs thus far was 3 turnovers.

The turnovers were uncharacteristic, as were much of the self-inflicted Phoenix mistakes Friday night. There were times when Paul simply didn't see the defenders near his passing lanes.

“If I don't turn the ball over like that, I feel like it's a different game,” Paul said in his post-game news conference.

When Luka Doncic picked up his fifth foul with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, a shimmer of hope appeared for the Suns. Their 17-point deficit turned into 11. But while the trademark CP3 fourth-quarter takeover felt like it was in the air, it simply never came. Paul attempted just three shots in the fourth, making two. When one of his patented right-elbow jumped clanked off the rim, the reality of loss set in.

However one game is a mighty small sample size. Evidence suggests that the 12-time NBA All Star is going to bounce back. His 12 points and 4 assists were both series lows. The 37-year old looks young as ever in these playoffs — don't expect his age to show quite yet.

2. A running-mate for Doncic

Speaking of sample size, Suns fans shouldn't lose sleep over Jalen Brunson's Game 3 performance. After combining for 22 points in the first two games of the series, Brunson lit the Suns up for a game-high 28. He was 10-for-21 from the field and 1-for-5 from three, so it wasn't a terribly efficient game from the former Villanova star.

But what Brunson provided Friday was something the Mavericks desperately needed — a competent scoring threat outside of Luka Doncic. The bulk of his work was done in the paint and the free-throw line, which was aided by the physicality of the game.

The good news for Suns fans is that this game was more lost by Phoenix than it was won by Dallas. Brunson wasn't spectacularly efficient. The Mavericks and Suns field goal percentages were virtually identical (44%). The Suns out-rebounded the Mavericks. Brunson's performance, while solid, wasn't enough to lead Dallas to a win on most nights. The Mavericks need guys like Maxi Kleber and Dorian Finney-Smith to step up too, and there have been no signs of that just yet.

If Phoenix can avoid another self-destructive night, they'll take this series in five and watch Memphis and Golden State duke it out on the other side of the Western Conference.

3. It's a numbers game

The Mavericks defeated the Suns for the first time in their last 14 games Friday night, regular season and playoffs combined. The last Dallas victory over Phoenix was November 2019.

History is on the Suns side. The Suns' loss in Game 3 doesn't negate their matchup advantage. Deandre Ayton had a poor outing Friday but his presence on the boards were felt. Jae Crowder's role as the “pest” has been successful. Devin Booker is still, well, Devin Booker.

The likelihood of a complete collapse is small. Perhaps this topic could be revisited if Sunday's Game 4 goes a certain way, but for now, just trust the numbers.