Suns-Mavericks Preview

By JORDAN GARRETSON
Posted Jan 27 2013 1:32AM

The Dallas Mavericks have been beaten by the NBA's top two teams in their last two games on their home floor.

They would figure to have a good chance of avoiding a third straight home loss given their history against the Phoenix Suns in Dallas.

The Mavericks look to win their 10th straight home game over the Suns when they meet Sunday night.

Dallas (18-25) had won five of six before a 113-107 home loss to Southwest Division-leading San Antonio on Friday, which came a week after a 117-114 overtime home loss to Northwest Division-leading Oklahoma City. An 11-0 run in the final minute made the loss to the Spurs appear much more competitive than it was as the Mavericks' defense struggled again.

Dallas ranks among the league's worst units, allowing 103.2 points per game. It has given up 100 or more points 28 times in 43 games this season compared to 18 times in 66 contests last year.

"It's hard to overcome layup after layup, and that's what happened," coach Rick Carlisle said. "They played at a higher level than we did."

Dallas' offense got an unexpected spark with Rodrigue Beaubois' season-high 19 - more than the 15 points he had the entire month of December. Beaubois has shown flashes of potential at times in his four years with Dallas, but inconsistency has led to him playing a career-low 11.9 minutes this season.

"He was terrific," Carlisle said. "To me it's not about the points but about the energy, enthusiasm and disposition. It's up to him. If he plays like this he has a chance to secure the backup position and he'll challenge for the starting position. But he has to establish the consistency."

More performances like that from Beaubois would be especially big for the Mavericks as Dirk Nowitzki is still trying to find a groove as he returns from knee surgery. Nowitzki is averaging 15.0 points on 34.1 percent shooting in his last three games.

He was sidelined for the Mavericks' first meeting of the season with the Suns, a 97-94 road win on Dec. 6. O.J. Mayo had 23 points as Dallas won for the ninth time in the last 10 matchups.

The Mavericks have also won the last nine in Dallas since a double-overtime loss to Phoenix on March 14, 2007.

The Suns won their first two games under new coach Lindsey Hunter before Saturday's 108-99 loss at San Antonio.

Fourth-quarter play continues to be an issue for Phoenix (15-29), which was outscored 27-17 in the final period by the Spurs. The Suns' averages of 21.9 points on 40.6 percent field-goal shooting in the fourth both rank in the league's bottom third, but Hunter wasn't necessarily discouraged.

"I think our guys did a really good job executing, fighting defensively," Hunter said. "We accomplished everything we talked about, our intensity, our focus and our mental preparation. That's what it's about. I couldn't be more proud of a team than these guys right now."

Goran Dragic is hoping to bounce back after scoring nine - 5.1 less than his team-leading average.

Marion, Nowitzki lead Mavericks past Suns, 110-95

By SCHUYLER DIXON
Posted Jan 27 2013 11:33PM

DALLAS (AP) Shawn Marion's 1,000th game was like so many others in his 14-year career.

He scored. He rebounded. He combined with Dirk Nowitzki to lead Dallas to another victory.

Marion had 18 points and nine rebounds, Nowitzki also had 18 while passing Allen Iverson on the career scoring list and the Mavericks beat the Phoenix Suns 110-95 on Sunday night.

It was the 10th straight home win for the Mavericks against the Suns, who haven't won in Dallas since March 14, 2007.

While Marion joined Nowitzki in the 1,000-game club, he won't ever get where the big German is on the scoring list. He's always been known for other things anyway, such as defense. He frequently guards the opponent's best player, and he also had five assists against the Suns.

"I pride myself in getting better every year I've played in the league and helping my teammates get better as well," said Marion, who played 660 games in Phoenix and had brief stops in Miami and Toronto before joining Nowitzki in Dallas in 2009. "That's why I'm able to have such a long career."

Nowitzki passed Iverson for 18th on the NBA's scoring list on a third-quarter jumper that stopped a Phoenix run, and his 3-pointer early in the fourth started a surge that put Dallas in control for good.

Phoenix, playing its fourth game in five days under interim coach Lindsey Hunter, rallied from a first-half deficit and made it interesting before fading in the fourth quarter for a second straight night in Texas after losing at Western Conference-leading San Antonio. Goran Dragic led four players in double figures with 18 points.

"We're pretty tired today," said Marcin Gortat, who had eight points and a team-high eight rebounds. "Hopefully for the next game, we'll be more ready to play. It was a terrible first half."

Nowitzki's third-quarter jumper was the first basket in a 6-0 spurt that pushed Dallas' lead back to double digits after Phoenix had trailed by as many as 20 in the first half. Nowitzki has 24,375 career points, seven ahead of Iverson. Patrick Ewing is 17th at 24,815.

Nowitzki stopped another Phoenix run in the fourth with a 3-pointer after the Suns had pulled within five, sparking a 10-0 run that put Dallas ahead 91-76. Brandan Wright, who entered just seconds earlier after sitting four straight games, converted a three-point play and Vince Carter hit two free throws before getting a steal that turned into a layup by Dahntay Jones.

"I'm starting to feel better," said Nowitzki, who missed the first 27 games after knee surgery. "I have a little more pop on my jump shot. I have a little more lift."

Wright was the fourth center used by coach Rick Carlisle, who decided to give rookie Bernard James his first career start. Wright's three-point play put Dallas' lead back in double digits for good with 10:30 remaining.

The lead was 17 with about 5 minutes left when Marion stripped a driving Dragic, and Darren Collison flipped the ball to Jones for an easy dunk and a 102-83 lead for the Mavericks, who are still on the outside of the playoff picture heading into a four-game road trip that ends in Oklahoma City.

"Honestly, this was as close to a must win as we have in the regular season," Nowitzki said.

Elton Brand played his 900th career game and finished with 12 points for Dallas.

The Mavericks, who had their eighth straight game with at least five double-figure scorers, had four different players score during an 11-0 run bridging the first and second quarters. Nowitzki hit a jumper, Carter and Rodrigue Beaubois had consecutive 3-pointers and Jones converted a three-point play for a 38-21 lead.

Dallas pushed the lead out to 46-26 on a layup from Chris Kaman and back-to-back buckets by Marion, who had six straight points in the second and finished the half with a game-high 12.

Collison, whose streak of 16 straight double-figure games ended, was scoreless on just one shot attempt in the first half but led Dallas with four assists before halftime.

The Suns settled for a lot of long jumpers and shot 38 percent in the first half, going 1 for 9 from 3-point range.

Luis Scola finished with 14 points for Phoenix, while Michael Beasley and P.J. Tucker had 12 apiece.

"When you put yourself in a hole like that and you finally dig yourself out, to sustain it takes a lot out of you," said Hunter, who fell to 2-2 since replacing Alvin Gentry. "We just couldn't sustain it."

NOTES: Most of the game was played with a two-man officiating crew after Leroy Richardson strained his right calf early in the first quarter and didn't return. ... The Mavericks decided to keep veteran G Mike James at the end of his second 10-day contract, which guarantees his contract for the rest of the season. He played just 1:28 of the fourth with the outcome settled. ... Eight of the Suns' first nine games under Hunter will be part of a back-to-back set. ... James' start made it the 17th different starting lineup for Dallas this season.

Notebook: Mavericks 110, Suns 95

Dave Ivey, For NBA.com
Posted Sun Jan 27, 2013 11:11 PM - Updated Sun Jan 27, 2013 11:11 PM

THE FACTS: Dallas Mavericks forward Shawn Marion looked as fresh as ever in his 1,000th career regular-season game. His former team looked exactly like it was playing its fourth game in five nights. Marion tallied 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists to lead the Mavs over the Phoenix Suns in a 110-95 victory Sunday at the American Airlines Center. It was the Suns' 10th straight loss in Dallas.

Marion, who played his first 660 games with Phoenix from 1999-2008, is the 107th player to reach that plateau. He wasn't the only player for the Mavericks (19-25) to reach a milestone at the Suns' expense. Dirk Nowitzki scored 18 points and passed Allen Iverson for 18th place on the NBA's all-time scoring chart. Also, Elton Brand played in his 900th game and O.J. Mayo delivered his 1,000th assist.

The Suns (15-30) fell to 2-2 under interim coach Lindsey Hunter. Goran Dragic paced four Phoenix players in double figures with 18 points and eight assists.

QUOTABLE: "[Shawn Marion] played extremely well. He stepped up his game tonight, and I thought he was very aggressive from start to finish."

--Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle

THE STAT: It was the eighth consecutive game with at least five Mavericks scoring in double figures. In addition to Marion and Nowitzki, Vince Carter added 15 points, Brand finished with 12 and Dahntay Jones had 11.

TURNING POINT: Exhaustion seemed to catch up with the Suns after they made a charge early in the fourth quarter to pull within five. The Mavericks answered with a decisive 10-0 run featuring a 3-pointer by Nowitzki and a three-point play by Brandan Wright, taking a 91-76 lead with 8:42 to play. During that Dallas surge, the sluggish Suns turned the ball over four times and missed four shots.

QUOTABLE II: "They beat us in every statistical category and we can't possibly manage to win games that way. They capitalized on all of our mistakes. They played with a great sense of urgency and I think -- it's been a long road for us and we've played a lot of games -- we kind of felt sorry for ourselves."

--Suns coach Lindsey Hunter

HOT: The Mavericks shot 51.1 percent and improved to 10-1 this season when they shoot at least 50 percent from the field. They were 5-for-11 from downtown.

NOT: The Suns shot 23.5 percent (4-for-17) from behind the arc. They are 0-13 on the road this season when making fewer 3-pointers than their opponent.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Nowitzki passed Iverson (24,368 points) with a 15-foot jumper with 5:38 left in the third quarter, giving Dallas a 70-60 lead. Nowitzki was 7-for-14 from the field and 3-for-4 at the line with seven rebounds. Next up is Patrick Ewing (24,815) in 17th place.

ROOKIE WATCH: Center Bernard James made his first career start for the Mavericks and finished with two points and three rebounds in just under 11 minutes. He ended up with less playing time than backups Brand (16:56) and Chris Kaman (11:05). ... Phoenix guard Kendall Marshall saw action for the first time since Jan. 12 and scored six points in 14:42 off the bench. He was 2-for-3 from 3-point distance.

NOTABLE: Official Leroy Richardson suffered a left calf strain and left the game at the 8:15 mark of the first quarter. Derrick Stafford and Brian Forte worked the rest of the game as a two-man crew. ... The Mavericks have scored 100-plus points in eight straight games (6-2 record). ... Dallas used its 17th different starting lineup, the most in the league this season. ... Battling foul trouble all night, Darren Collison saw his streak of 16 consecutive games in double figures come to an end with eight points and six assists. ... Phoenix hasn't won in Dallas since March 14, 2007. ... The Mavs are 10-1 when they dish out at least 25 assists (26). ... Dallas has committed fewer turnovers than its opponents in six straight games. ... Phoenix fell to 1-9 on the road against the West. ... The Suns are 2-9 on the second night of a back-to-back. ... Carlisle announced after the game that point guard Mike James' contract has been guaranteed for the rest of the season. His second 10-day contract was set to expire Monday.

UP NEXT: For the Mavericks, Tuesday @ Portland, Thursday @ Golden State, Friday @ Phoenix. For the Suns, Wednesday vs. L.A. Lakers, Friday vs. Dallas, Saturday @ Golden State.

• Suns: Frye, Garrett
• Mavericks: Cunningham, Jones

• Suns: --
• Mavericks: --

• Lead Changes: 1
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
• Officials: #9 Derrick Stafford, #20 Leroy Richardson, #45 Brian Forte
• Attendance: 20305
• Duration: 2:16