TV play-by-play announcer Mark Followill shares some of his thoughts about tonight's game:

Mark Followill

Well Dallas made the adjustments and played a much better defensive game en route to beating Phoenix 105-98. They ran some doubles on Steve Nash, limiting him to one shot attempt and three assists in the second half. Another change Dallas made is playing DeSagana Diop 32 minutes off the bench, and he changed the game. He is agile enough to guard people somewhat on the perimeter, and he took away the rim from the Suns. Even though Diaw had another big game for Phoenix, he had to do more of it with jump shots instead of at the rim.

When crunch time rolled around, the Mavs tightened the screws defensively getting 14 stops on 22 Suns possessions and holding them to 21 points. Meanwhile, on the offensive end, Dirk and Jason Terry provided big baskets as they both went to the hole repeatedly. Dallas as a team did that in the second half, as they shot 30 free throws.

The Mavs also got a huge night from Josh Howard, who showed no ill effects from the bone bruise to his right ankle. Howard had 29, including three three-pointers, and he attacked the rim in the third quarter. He was active all night. Dallas also took much better care of the basketball, committing just nine turnovers. That was a big problem for them with 16 in Game 1, including three costly ones late in the game. Tonight they only had one free throw in the last 14 minutes.

Overall Dallas made adjustments defensively to slow Steve Nash and the Suns fastbreak attack. They did a better job attacking the rim and getting to the line and they got production from a true center which helped their interior defense. They have momentum now after winning and evening up the series. They will look to regain control of the series on Sunday in Phoenix.