DALLAS, TEXAS — The Mavericks lost another close game against the Suns at home 109-108 to extend their losing streak to 6 games. Dallas did what they could, they played well most of the game and maintained a lead throughout, but the Suns just hit THAT shot to win.
It was a nice start for the Mavericks for their first quarter of play in the month of February. The energy was big and it was apparent that Dallas wasn’t just going to lay down and let the Suns steal another game under their roof.
The Mavericks defense and transition game made the difference and from the tip. It was a back and forth battle with neither team making it easy to score on defense. The Mavericks forced 7 first quarter turnovers and got their hands in the passing lane which boosted their efforts on the other end of the floor. Dallas scored their first 5 out of 8 shots from the field with Josh Richardson knocking down 3 of those shots attacking the Suns early. Maxi Kleber got involved as well after scoring on a putback dunk which led to Dallas finishing the first quarter tied with the Suns 22-22.
The Mavericks and Suns kept the same back and forth energy well into the second quarter, but the Mavericks pulled ahead after Luka Doncic connected on two free throws and a big time three from Kristaps Porzingis to give the Mavericks a 53-47 lead to end the first half. Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr and Josh Richardson carried the bulk of the offensive load combining for 38 of the Mavericks 53 first half points.
When Dallas holds a lead going into halftime they have a 7-1 record and finishing with a first half lead in January was a rarity which just shows how good this team is when healthy.
The Mavericks held the Suns at bay and extended their lead by 10 points. The Suns quickly rallied and Chris Paul carried the Suns offensively hitting a hot streak erasing the Mavericks lead before time expired in the third quarter. Although the Mavericks held a lead, Dallas struggled from the field and only connected on 38% of their shots. Luka Doncic, Josh Richardson, and Dorian Finney-Smith scored on 7 of those buckets helping Dallas secure their lead heading into the fourth.
The Mavericks offense began to slow in the fourth quarter after going scoreless for close to 3 minutes on offense, and the Suns decided to take advantage of the momentum. After leading for most of the game they found themselves tussling with the Suns in a fourth quarter shootout. It came down to the wire and the Mavericks tied the game 106-106 and then Josh Richardson sunk two more in from the free throw line to give them a 108-106 lead. After a timeout with seconds remaining, Chris Paul found Devin Booker on the right wing for the wide open three to hit the last second shot to take a 109-108 lead with not enough time remaining on the clock for Dallas to respond.
It’s been an uphill battle all season long for the Mavericks due to injuries and Covid 19 protocols which have taken its toll on this team, but the verdict is still out on who this team is because of that. No team in the league has had players miss more gametime than the Mavericks so a sputtering start isn’t hard to completely imagine, but unfortunately it’s happening when the season is beginning to take form and the better teams are starting to rise to the top and the Mavericks want to be in that echelon of teams when it’s all said and done.
The Mavericks are now 8-13 on the season and have extended their losing streak to six games and will head to Atlanta to face the Hawks on Wednesday.
