Jason Kidd leads Dallas Mavericks to 91-83 win over Phoenix Suns
A pair of three-pointers from Jason Kidd helped the Dallas Mavericks defeat the Phoenix Suns by 91-83 at the US Airways Centre in Phoenix on Sunday night.
Kidd posted two excellent three pointers along with two free throws with just over a minute left to play in the game, which pushed the Suns further back in the playoff race.
The Suns are currently in 10th place in the Western Conference standings and face tough competition from the Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies for eighth spot.
An excited Jason Kidd said after the game, “The first one I had no choice, the shot clock was about to go off, I just took my time and it went in, that's all. The second one I was shooting it all the way if Dirk [Nowitzki] was going to give it to me”.
Mavericks’ Tyson Chandler scored 16 points and equaled his season high 18 rebounds. Jason Kidd and Jason Terry added 16 points each, while Dirk Nowitzki posted 16 points for the Dallas Mavericks’ in the win.
Though the Dallas Mavericks shot just 38 percents overall in the game, but they were still able to finish off the match on a winning note. Dallas Coach Rick Carlisle praised his teams’ combined effort after the game.
He said, "These kinds of games come down to will and toughness and I give our guys a lot of credit, our shots weren't falling all night. We struggled with turnovers early and to just hang in and come in to huddles and talking about how we're going to get
it done. That's progress for us and we've just got to keep building on that”.
Despite leading in the first three quarters, Phoenix were thoroughly outplayed by the Mavericks. Marcin Gortat scored 20 points and 15 rebounds, Josh Childress posted 12, while Jared Dudley finished with 20 points for the Phoenix Suns.
The Mavericks didn’t get off to a good start, as they struggled offensively in the initial stages of the first quarter. The Mavericks’ allowed phoenix to take an early nine-point advantage as the first quarter finished at 26-17.
Soon the Mavericks cut down this nine-point lead to five and geared up for next two quarters. In the third quarter Dallas got their rhythm back and leveled the score at 63-63 with just over a minute remaining. However, Phoenix held a 67-65 lead going into
the fourth.
The Mavericks kept the pressure on the Suns in the final stanza, and Jason Kidd’s moment came in the final minute when he beautifully scored two three pointers and as many free throws, to seal a 91-83 win for the Mavericks.
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