DALLAS, TEXAS — Although the Mavericks took the initial lead, the Suns outscored Dallas by 24 points in the second half, taking the 23 point victory.
A double technical foul on Kevin Durant and Grant Williams set the tone for a physical matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns.
The Mavericks took the lead and went on a 7-0 run until the 5:41 mark in the first quarter. Phoenix’s Grayson Allen closed the gap with a two-point shot, bringing the Suns within two, at 15-17.
The Mavericks extended their lead with the help of the leading scorer, Luka Doncic, who contributed 24 points and five assists in the first half.
Luka knocked down a 23-foot shot at the beginning of the second quarter, putting the Mavericks up 40-25. The momentum for the Mavericks did not stop there, as they continued to extend their lead to the largest margin in the first half of 15, at 50-35.
The Suns’ defense struggled against the Mavs’ offense, and Dallas had no trouble when it came to getting out in transition and scoring on the fast break. But down the stretch, Phoenix showed good effort and found a defensive groove.
Phoenix began mid-court pressuring Dallas, prompting the Mavs to attempt to draw in the Suns’ defense to kick the ball out for three-point shots.
The Suns capitalized on this defensive momentum, throwing Dallas off track and scoring off the Mavs’ loose balls and sloppy ball movement. Devin Booker scored a tip shot in the last twenty-seven seconds of the half to close the gap, sending the Suns into halftime one point down, 57-58.
The Suns secured their first lead of the night at the beginning of the second half. Just before heading into the locker room, a foul was called against Doncic, sending Booker to the free-throw line to tie the game. Bradley Beal’s driving layup then put Phoenix ahead by two, with a score of 60-58.
At the 8:46 mark, Dallas’ Williams received a second technical foul and was ejected, which seemed to evoke a turning point in the matchup. Phoenix saw their largest lead of 25 with four seconds left in the third quarter. Booker got into an offensive groove, knocking down consecutive outside shots and sealed a 132-109 victory for the Suns.
Luka Dončić and Jason Kidd agreed postgame that Dallas is their best when they can play physical basketball for forty-eight minutes, and that didn’t happen tonight.
“I think we played very physical the first eighteen minutes, but then our physicality went down,” said Dončić. “And that is when we struggle. We need to be physical the whole game.”
After two consecutive losses at home, the Dallas Mavericks look to bounce back on the road against the Atlanta Hawks. Tip-off is Friday at 6 p.m.
