O.J. Mayo carries Dallas Mavericks to a 97-94 win over the Phoenix Suns – NBA Recap
In the absence of Dirk Nowitzki, O.J. Mayo has been holding the Dallas Mavericks together this season. He is their leading scorer so far and on Thursday night against the Phoenix Suns, he hammered a game high 23 points to help
the Mavs send the Phoenix Suns crashing to their 5th consecutive defeat.
Mayo was 9 of 17 from the floor, had five rebounds and five dimes, but his most important contribution came with 34.6 remaining in the game, when he knocked down a go-ahead jumper to make it 89-87. Goran Dragic could have tied
the game on the next possession, but he missed a layup and from there on the Mavericks utilized all of their 8 free throws to hold on for a 97-94 win.
Dallas got decent contributions from Brandan Wright and Darren Collison, both of whom scored 16 apiece. Chris Kaman also chipped in with 15 points and 7 boards.
The Suns, playing at home, trailed by as many as 15 deep in the third quarter, after the Mavs had reeled off a 16-2 run. But starting from 3:34 left in the third to 10:58 in the fourth, the Suns bounced back with a 19-8 run that
made it a four point game at 67-71. The Mavs responded in the ensuing passage and gained a 10 point lead near the midway mark, only to be countered by a 9-2 burst which made it a one basket game.
With 48.5 seconds left on the clock, the hosts tied the game at 87 and had all the momentum to win it. As it turned out, momentum alone couldn’t get them through.
Markieff Morris had 15 points and a career-best 17 rebounds with 2 blocks for the Suns, who led by 11-1 right at the start of the game. Goran Dragic also had 15 points with 4 steals; Luis Scola added 13 with 9 rebounds while Shannon
Brown finished the night off with 11 points.
The Suns were let down by their inferior shooting, especially down the stretch and also lost P.J. Tucker (sprained knee) and Jermaine O'Neal (eye) during the game. The Mavs also had two injury cases in Kaman (sprained ankle) and
Shawn Marion (strained right groin).
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