Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Dallas Mavericks 106 at Phoenix Suns 112
Thursday was shaping up to be one heck of a day for Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki.
The Phoenix Suns made sure Nowitzki's day came to a disappointing ending.
(Photo by P.A. Molumby/NBAE via Getty Images)
In the evening, Nowitzki learned that he had been named as an All-Star reserve selection, playing in front of his NBA hometown fans next month after his ninth consecutive selection. By the nighttime, the 7-footer became the Mavericks' all-time leader in career games (884) played in a Dallas uniform, passing Brad Davis on the franchise's list. Unfortunately for Nowitzki, he and his teammates could not complete the trifecta, as the Suns used a big fourth quarter and a strong effort defensively on No. 41 to hand the Mavericks a 112-106 road loss.
"(The Suns) played a very physical game and I thought that was the difference," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle summed up the night. "Their level of aggression was higher than ours. Grant Hill really worked extremely hard the whole game and made it difficult for Dirk to catch the ball, and made it difficult for him to get clean shots."
Coming in with the Western Conference's best road record, the Mavericks tried to put the Suns away early, after narrowly escaping with a 102-101 home win over Phoenix on Dec. 8. A big first quarter from guard Jason Terry, who was recently inserted into the starting lineup, helped the Mavericks seize control from the opening tip. With Terry shooting over former Mav Steve Nash, the Dallas lead reached as much as 12 before the opening period ended at 34-25 in the Mavericks' favor. In his fifth straight start, Terry led the way with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting at the end of one. Meanwhile, the Dallas defense forced six Suns' turnovers in the quarter, compared to zero giveaways for the Mavericks.
The Suns' reserves powered the Phoenix attack early in the second stanza, cutting into the Dallas lead.
"Their bench was the difference," Carlisle said plainly.
But Nowitzki, Terry and center Erick Dampier continued to keep the Suns at bay, as the Mavericks overcame four second quarter turnovers to take a 59-55 edge into the halftime break.
Both teams shot lights-out in the first half, as the Suns' 55 percent shooting was just better than 54 percent from Dallas. With Terry's 15 first half points leading the way, the Mavericks sprinted to their early advantage by capitalizing and scoring after Phoenix miscues. Dallas scored 16 points off of the Suns' 10 first half turnovers.
Behind Nash's play-making, the Suns came out of the intermission with life and it reflected on the scoreboard, as Phoenix took its first lead of the game at 67-66 on Jason Richardson's 3-pointer at the 8:32-mark of the third. But point guard Jason Kidd's ability to knock down shots from behind the 3-point arch powered a 9-1 Dallas run to put the Mavericks back in front. The Mavs then got Nowitzki going, as the superstar made an assertive effort to reach the charity stripe on his way to scoring 12 points in the quarter. Then J.J. Barea brought the period to a dramatic end, banking in a running 16-footer to give the Mavericks a 90-84 advantage entering the fourth.But the Suns' bench, and their ability to stretch the court with outside shooting, tormented the Dallas defense to begin the final period.
"Their second group was a lot better than the guys that were on the floor. They got (their bench players) in the game and got the lead...And their starters come back in and they go from there. They gave them energy and life," Kidd said.
When Phoenix's starters returned, a scrambling Suns defense would not allow Nowitzki any open looks. The momentum was with the home team, as the Suns built up a four-point lead during a stretch of six straight Dallas misses, leading to a 9-0 Phoenix run.
"We've got to do a better job of executing and defending. It's as simple as that. They made plays...They made plays on offense and defensively they were very aggressive, and they made it hard," the coach said.
Struggling to score, Carlisle switched to a "small ball" lineup with Barea, Terry, Kidd, former Sun Shawn Marion and Nowitzki. Still, Nash kept the Mavericks at a safe distance, raining in a three with 3:17 remaining to put Phoenix up 105-100. Nash torched his former team again, driving past Nowitzki for a lay-in to put the Suns up 109-104 with just 29.3 ticks left. After a pair of free throws from Terry cut the Dallas deficit to three with 22.7 seconds remaining, Hill answered with a 2-for-2 free throw trip at the other end. After a Carlisle timeout, the coach drew up a play to find Terry on the wing for a three, but Jared Dudley intercepted Kidd's feed and dribble to the other end, drawing a foul on Nowitzki with 14.1 seconds on the game clock. Dudley calmly knocked down a pair. A missed three from rookie Rodrigue Beaubois put a cap on the night, as Dudley grabbed the game's final rebound and dribbled the clock out.
The Suns focused in on stopping Nowitzki, holding the star scoreless (on just one shot attempt) in the final period. Meanwhile, Phoenix outscored Dallas 28-16 in the quarter.
"They outplayed us, give them credit," Terry said. "We've got plenty of people on this team that can score. They played good (defense) on Dirk. We've just got to make sure we do what we have to do to score the basketball.
"It's unbelievable to me that we've come halfway through the season and we still look like we're searching in the fourth quarter. It's not that hard. The fourth quarter, that wasn't Maverick basketball."
The Suns finished the night out-shooting the Mavericks, 55 percent to 50 percent. It is the Mavericks' first loss (11-1) this season in a game in which they've shot at least 50 percent.
"We had the looks around the rim but we just couldn't capitalize," Kidd said. "The ball didn't go down for us when we needed it to, and on the other end, we just couldn't get stops."
Terry led the Mavericks with 21 points, as all five Maverick starters scored in double figures. Nowitzki added 19 points, while Marion (15), Kidd (13) and Dampier (12) all reached double figures.
Despite not playing a second in the fourth, Phoenix's Amar'e Stoudemire finished with a game-high 22 points to lead five Suns' players in double figures. Nash posted a double-double with 19 points and 11 assists.
Phoenix did a lot of its damage from outside the 3-point arch, connecting on 9-of-15 from deep. The Suns also overcame 15 turnovers with a 37-34 rebounding edge and a 50-36 advantage in points in the paint. The Phoenix reserves also outscored their Dallas counterparts 43-26.
"We've got to get the ball into people's hands that can put it in the basket. Their bench outplayed us all night. Clear as day, and it can't happen," Terry said.
Now the Mavericks return to Dallas to host the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS. The game will air locally on TXA 21, TXA HD and HD NET at 8 p.m. CT. The Mavericks will be out to avenge an 85-81 home loss on Dec. 22.
For up to the minute news on the Dallas Mavericks, visit Mavs.com. Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.
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