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Marion leads Mavericks past Suns

Jan 24, 2012 - 5:13 AM Dallas, TX (Sports Network) - Shawn Marion scored 29 points against his former team and the Dallas Mavericks won their second game in a row without Dirk Nowitzki, beating the Phoenix Suns, 93-87, on Monday night.

The Mavericks started a four-game homestand without their best player, who is nursing a sore right knee. Nowitzki is expected to sit at least two more games and could return against San Antonio on Sunday.

Marion, who played his first eight-plus NBA season for Phoenix, scored 17 of his 29 points in the second half as Dallas pulled away for its eighth win in 10 games.

"My teammates are looking for me," he said. "I've been able to do a lot of different things on the floor. This is about just helping my teammates."

Ian Mahinmi added 17 points and Jason Terry scored 12 in the victory, both off the bench.

Grant Hill and Marcin Gortat had 19 points apiece to lead the Suns, who went 2-3 on a five-game road trip. They had a two-game winning streak and have lost six of eight.

Shannon Brown contributed 14 points off the bench while Gortat grabbed 17 rebounds, Steve Nash had 12 assists and rookie Markieff Morris had a career- high 11 boards.

The Suns shot 37.3 percent and have lost nine straight games in Dallas since a 129-127 win in double-overtime on March 14, 2007.

"We started kinda slow," said Gortat. "We started to play better and better with each quarter, but honestly, it was a tough loss. We really believed that we could win this game, and being honest with you, we got to change something. We can't start games like that."

Hill scored 12 of his 19 points in the first quarter, but Marion had 10 and the Mavericks shot 55 percent for a 32-27 lead heading into the second. They carried a 49-46 margin into halftime, then pulled away.

Marion had 14 points in the third quarter and the Mavs stretched a 60-53 lead to 70-55 with a 10-2 run. Marion had nine points during the surge, capping it with back-to-back threes.

Dallas went into the fourth quarter ahead 74-65 and held on down the stretch, finishing with 21 points off 19 Suns turnovers.

"We didn't deserve to win," said Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry. "We didn't play well enough to win."

Game Notes

Marion made 4-of-6 three-pointers: "I've shot the three my whole career -- I just don't have to do it here (with Dallas). Here I don't have to do it because they need somebody who can score inside the paint. ... When you stop doing it, it definitely feels a little weird, though."...The Mavs are 11-4 since losing their first three games of the season.