Sometimes a hard fought, close loss can feel like a win. If you're the Phoenix Suns, however, a playoff win can give off the same gut-punch feeling as a brutal loss.

The Suns dominated the Dallas Mavericks in a wire-to-wire beat down Monday night to take a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference Semifinals. Phoenix led by as many as 21 points. There were no ties. There were no lead changes. Just pure dominance.

It didn't feel like that, according to one Suns starter.

‘These dudes don't give up'

“We know we can do better, you know what I'm saying,” said Deandre Ayton. “It's the playoffs and they showed up … We were missing shots and them dudes was doing what they do, you know, scoring the ball the best they can.”

The Suns entered the fourth quarter with a 17-point lead and left it up just 7. They shot just 28% in the final frame compared to the 50.5% they shot for the game —their seventh straight above 50%. Dallas straight up outplayed Phoenix across the last eight minutes and that should wake the NBA's No. 1 overall seed up, Ayton says.

“We got away from our principles,” he said. “I'm glad that happened early. A little eyeopening to learn that these dudes don't give up.”

Despite the double-digit deficit, the Mavericks kept the pressure up offensively. They took 21 shots in the fourth, converting on 14 of them. They were 4-of-8 from three. Luka Doncic was 5/5 in the quarter. The Suns can't afford to finish like this in closer games moving forward.

“This is playoffs basketball now,” Ayton said. “It was unacceptable the way we closed it out … I know for a fact, we're not closing another game like that again. We're going to be a lot more locked in like we just came off an L.”