Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion lead Dallas Mavericks to 115-90 victory over the Phoenix Suns
Forwards Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion led the Dallas Mavericks to an impressive 115-90 victory over the visiting Phoenix Suns at American Airlines Centre on Sunday night.
Dallas are now tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for third position in the Western Conference. The Suns, on the other hand, fell three games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.
Five Dallas players scored in double figures. Nowitzki scored a game-high 19 points, grabbed seven rebounds and three assists in the victory. While the 32-year-old Marion finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and three assists in the Mavericks second straight
victory. Marion registered his third consecutive double-double and the 12th of the current season.
Jason Terry and forward Peja Stojakovic came off the bench with 17 points each while J.J. Barea posted 15 points in the victory. Tyson Chandler scored 12 rebounds while Brendan Haywood pulled down 11 rebounds for the Mavericks.
Centre-forward Marcin Gortat chipped in with 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Suns, who lost their second consecutive game. Guard-forward Jared Dudley and Hakim Warrick added 11 points apiece for Phoenix, who have lost four of their last five games.
Phoenix guard Steve Nash rejoined the line-up after missing his side's last two games with a hamstring injury. Nash was not much of a scoring threat for the Mavs though, as he managed only six points in the losing effort. However, he played a nice floor
game with nine assists in the defeat.
Match Analysis
The Mavericks got off to a fantastic start as they took a 19-7 lead early in the opening quarter. Dallas took full advantage of the sloppy basketball played by the Suns and outscored them 36-17 after 12 minutes.
Suns coach Alvin Gentry said that his team's poor start played a vital role in their defeat. He said, "Well, we got off to a bad start and we were never in the game. (Dallas) shot the ball well and we couldn't come up with baskets and couldn't come up with
shots. That's what the game was."
The Mavericks shot 52 percent from the field in the second quarter and extended their lead to 65-39 at half time. Phoenix made a marginal come back in the third quarter and cut their 26-point first half deficit to 80-60 heading into the final stanza.
Trailing by 20 points after three quarters, the Suns were unable to reduce the deficit lower than 17 points throughout the fourth quarter.
Mavericks guard Jason Terry said his team was getting better day-by-day. He told reporters after the game, "We are building up steam, building up momentum. That's what you want to do. ... For us, it is about rhythm, it is about flow, -- and how we move the
ball offensively, how we fly down defensively. Tonight, you saw a great example of it."
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