Final
Mavericks pound Suns behind three-point exhibition
Jan 31, 2012 - 5:34 AM Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Delonte West drained five of the Mavericks season-high 14 three-pointers en route to 25 points and six assists off the bench as Dallas thumped Phoenix, 122-99, at U.S. Airways Center.Vince Carter also had five treys and finished with 21 points while Shawn Marion had 20 points and five rebounds for the Mavericks, who have now defeated the Suns eight consecutive times.
Marcin Gortat led the Suns with 17 points and 10 rebounds and Jared Dudley finished with 15 points and five boards in a losing effort. Grant Hill contributed 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting for the Suns, who have lost four of their last five games.
Phoenix was also without star point guard Steve Nash, who suffered a left thigh contusion in the team's 86-84 win over Memphis on Saturday.
"We caught a break with Nash not playing. I don't think you can overlook that as a big factor in the game," Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle said.
The game remained close early, with six lead changes and five ties in the first 12 minutes of play. Dallas began to pull away slightly in the latter stages of the quarter.
With the game tied at 15 and 4:57 to play in the stanza, the Mavs closed the quarter with a 16-9 run to open up a 31-24 lead. Both teams shot well from the floor --above 50 percent -- but Phoenix turned the ball over four times leading to six Mavs points.
"We were playing catch-up from there and it's hard to play catch-up against that team, especially when they've got everything locked in," Suns head coach Alvin Gentry said.
A slam by Ian Mahinmi put the Mavs up 38-28 early in the second quarter, but Phoenix responded with a quick 9-2 burst to cut the deficit to three with 7:48 to play before the break.
Leading 46-41 with 5:39 to play in the half, the Mavs put on a three-point shooting clinic, netting six consecutive treys during a 20-7 run to close the half. West put the finishing touches on the run with a layup off a Carter miss to give Dallas a comfortable 66-48 lead at the break.
Dallas continued its hot shooting in the third quarter, knocking down 60 percent of its shots to go with 3-of-5 from three-point range.
A trey by West with 3:42 to play in the frame gave the Mavs a 92-65 lead, and they led 96-70 heading into the fourth.
Down big heading into the final quarter, the Suns played hard and outscored the Mavs, 29-26, and made 6-of-9 from beyond the arc, but could never make a dent in the lead as the Mavs rolled to the victory.
"Obviously we ran into a team that shot the heck out of the ball tonight," Suns head coach Alvin Gentry said. "They shot extremely well from three as well. We just could never really put anything together as far as making a run at them." Game Notes
Dallas improved to 13-4 since starting the season with a disappointing 1-4 record...The Mavs extended their road winning streak to three games...Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki finished with 10 points, while guard Jason Terry donated 11...Dallas shot 55 percent from the floor, while Phoenix shot 44 percent...The Mavs got the better of the play on the boards, outrebounding the Suns, 44-33.
- DALLAS: 124
PHOENIX: 99
Final
Jan 30 11:19 PM - DALLAS: 96
PHOENIX: 70
End of 3rd
Jan 30 10:49 PM - DALLAS: 66
PHOENIX: 48
Halftime
Jan 30 10:03 PM - DALLAS: 31
PHOENIX: 24
End of 1st
Jan 30 9:32 PM - DALLAS: 0
PHOENIX: 0
1st Quarter - 12:00
Jan 30 9:11 PM
Related News
- Should we be worried that people with the Phoenix Suns can “feel the frustration with Durant”? Dec 26
- Stats rundown: 3 stats to know from the Dallas Mavericks’ Christmas Day win over the Phoenix Suns, 128-114 Dec 26
- Suns vs. Mavs Final Score: Phoenix continues to struggle, lose 128-114 to Dallas Dec 26
- 3 thoughts on a tense 128-114 Christmas win for the Mavericks over the Phoenix Suns Dec 26
- Suns JAM Session Podcast: Suns (14-15) vs. Mavs Post Game Podcast Dec 26
- Luka Hits 10,000 Points: How Doncic reached a career Milestone Dec 25
- Mavericks vs Suns Preview: the NBA Christmas Day nightcap of Dallas against Phoenix Dec 25
- Open Thread: Mavericks vs. Suns Dec 25
- Mavericks Odds: How to bet the Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns Dec 25
- Game Preview: Struggling Suns face struggling Mavericks in Christmas Day showdown Dec 25
- Stephen’s Study: Scouting Udoka Azubuike’s minutes against the Sacramento Kings Dec 25
- Mavericks vs Suns Preview: 3 things to know as Mavericks get Christmas Day showdown against the Suns Dec 24