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Mavericks take down Suns

Jan 18, 2014 - 6:18 AM Phoenix, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Monta Ellis scored 24 points and Dirk Nowitzki added 21 as the Dallas Mavericks edged the Phoenix Suns, 110-107, on Friday.

Shane Larkin scored a career-high 18 points off the bench and Shawn Marion finished with 16 for the Mavericks, winners in four of their last five games.

"Coach told us we can either fall apart or come together. Tonight, we came together," said Larkin.

Goran Dragic scored a game-high 28 points on 12-of-20 shooting and also dished out seven assists. Markieff Morris added 23 points and 12 rebounds, Marcus Morris had 13 points and seven boards and P.J. Tucker donated 11 points and nine rebounds for the Suns, losers in four of their last five.

The Suns trailed 86-75 moments into the fourth quarter, but used a 9-0 burst to make it 86-84 with 9:43 left. Marcus Morris capped the flurry with a 3- pointer, one of three he knocked down during the contest.

Larkin buried a 3-pointer and Nowitzki followed with his patented one-foot fadeway to make it 91-84 a minute later.

A pair of Marcus Morris free throws made it a one possession game, 91-88, with 7:37 remaining, but the Mavs managed to stretch their lead to 10 points, 104-94, at the 2:42 mark.

Markieff Morris knocked down a trey to jumpstart an 8-4 swing. Dragic made it 108-105 with his short bank shot. After Larkin's free throws with 11.1 seconds left, Dragic raced down the court for a layup to keep the Suns alive.

On the ensuing inbounds pass, Vince Carter attempted to hand the ball off to Ellis, but the ball was knocked out of his hands before hitting him in the face before he could get in play and Phoenix took over under the basket. The inbounds pass went to Tucker in the corner, but his three didn't fall, and multiple putbacks from Markieff Morris bounced off the rim as the Mavs held on for the win.

"I couldn't have had a better look, I couldn't believe I was that open, especially in the corner. It was just one of those days, I was already celebrating. It did everything but go down," said Tucker.

Dallas led 36-30 after the first quarter and took a 58-56 lead into the break. The Mavs outscored Phoenix 26-19 in the third to make it 84-75 entering the final frame.

Game Notes

Dallas shot 53 percent (44-for-83) from the field ... Phoenix outscored Dallas 60-42 in the paint ... Dragic also had seven assists, five rebounds and three steals in the loss.