Luka Dončić finished with a 41-point performance as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Phoenix Suns 123-113 on Thursday night.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Kyrie Irving collected 29 points for Dallas (33-23) in their seventh-straight win.
Devin Booker led Phoenix (33-23) in scoring with 35 points. Kevin Durant had 23 while Eric Gordon added 16 as the Suns’ two-game winning streak was snapped.
The Suns were up 33-32 at the end of the first quarter, but the Mavericks clawed back from a 29-19 deficit. Irving scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the quarter, including seven points in the last minute alone.
“We didn’t execute what we were looking to do well enough,” Suns head coach Frank Vogel said. “We had some breakdowns of what we were supposed to do. When we’re trying to attack, we didn’t space appropriately. Led into some tough possessions, but I am happy with how our guys battled.”
After Phoenix regained another double-digit lead to 54-43, Dončić copied Iriving with a 13-point quarter in the second to go into halftime with Dallas trailing by only three, 63-60.
Both teams kept fighting back-and-forth as Phoenix shot 47.6% from the field and Dallas were almost identical (47.8%). The rebound total was also fairly similar, with the total concluding 41-39 in the Suns’ favor.
Beginning the third quarter, the Mavericks went on a 15-0 run thanks to Dončić collecting seven points during the stretch.
“We didn’t start the [third] quarter with enough attentiveness,” Vogel said. “Obviously, we gave up that 15-0, 16-0 run. We lost some possessions offensively and Luka [Dončić] got going.”
Down 75-63, Booker scored 11 and before Royce O’Neale came off the Suns’ bench to nail a three-point jumper, making it 81-80 Dallas. Phoenix were 15-for-35 from beyond the arc.
From there, the Mavericks did not look back en route to the 123-113 victory. Dallas racked up 29 points off of 16 turnovers made by the Suns.
Next Games
Phoenix Suns: Away vs. Houston Rockets (24-30) on Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. MST
Dallas Mavericks: Away vs. Indiana Pacers (31-25) on Feb. 25 at 3 p.m.
Kevin Durant ‘excited’ about Phoenix Mercury, offseason additions
*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, exclusive content, and access to our seasonal magazines! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*
Reporter Alec Cipollini covers Phoenix Sports News for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
