Inside Report: Suns-Mavericks preview — Mavs bid for season sweep of Suns, keeping No. 3 in West

Earl K. Sneed previews the Mavericks' Sunday evening showdown with the Suns, as the Dallas team brings an end to its homestand and starts the final back-to-back of the season looking to hold on to the No. 3 seed in the West.

DALLAS — Although the Phoenix Suns are eliminated from playoff contention, they could still have a hand in deciding where the Mavericks end up in the postseason picture.

Phoenix, which has a 0-3 record against the Mavericks this season, still figures to pose a great challenge when the two teams square off at the American Airlines Center on Sunday evening. And after squeaking out all three wins against the Suns by single digits, the Mavericks (54-25) will try to cruise to a more comfortable margin the fourth go-round, as the squads meet one final time with just three games remaining until the Dallas team turns its attention to the playoffs.

The Mavs will also try to build off a 107-96 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night, which successfully ended a four-game losing streak.

“This time of year a lot of things can happen in a short amount of time,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said heading into the matchup. ”The key for us is to concentrate on our own business. Keep working on our health and our game and take advantage of our opportunities. When you are on a four-game schneid the next win is important. That was the biggest thing in my mind. I am glad we won. It has us reenergized and, again, a lot can happen in the next three games.”

“[The Suns] are out of the playoff picture right now, but it’s not really about them, it’s about us,” forward Shawn Marion added. “We’ve got to go out here and do what we’ve gotta do to take care of business.”

But the Mavericks will be the first to confess that handing the Suns a fourth loss will not be easy, as the high-scoring Phoenix squad tries to avenge a trio of losses to the crew from Big D while also assisting the Oklahoma City Thunder, who sits just a game back of tracking down Dallas for the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference playoff picture. That means there figures to be plenty at stake for both the Mavs and Suns (38-41) in what would appear to be more than just a playoff tune-up game for the Dallas team.

Fortunately for the Mavs, they will get an opportunity to learn from their sluggish performance in a 91-83 road win over the Suns on March 27, when they needed every bit of point guard Jason Kidd’s personal 8-0 run to conclude matters and hand Phoenix a third loss this season.

“It just goes to show you how close the game was,” Carlisle said. “It was two phenomenal shots [by Kidd] and then we got a couple of big stops at the end which got us home.”

Kidd will return to the court after sitting out the last two games to be well-rested for the playoffs. And with Kidd recharged and ready to once again assume the floor general duties, the Mavericks head into their final back-to-back of the season — with the second half coming Monday in Houston — looking to build some much-needed momentum while trying to hold off the Thunder for No. 3 in the standings.

“It was a much-needed break for me,” Kidd confessed. “I get back to work [Sunday] and I am looking forward to being on the court with my guys…I feel fresh. I feel great, but I was glad to get a break at the end of the season to get ready for the playoffs. The schedule fits perfect for me to have almost a whole week off.”

And after Kidd and his teammates shot just 38.1 percent, compared to Phoenix’s 42.5 percent the last time the two teams squared off, the Mavericks will once again look to rely on their defense in order to get a victory, although forward Dirk Nowitzki remains confident that his team will not struggle at the offensive end once again.

“That’s a tribute to our defense that we won that game. If you would have told me before that I’m 6-for-19, ‘Trix [Marion] is 2-for-10, JET [Jason Terry] is like 2-for-30, if you tell me that before the game that we’d still find a way to win then I wouldn’t have believed it,” Nowitzki joked. “Yeah, we won that game with our defense and it’s good to know that we can still do that.”

“On nights when the shots aren’t going in, hey, we need 12 guys pulling together over there and keeping everybody energized. And that’s exactly what happened,” Carlisle added.

Note: The fourth Suns-Mavericks matchup of the season will tip off at 6:30 p.m. CT on Friday night, airing locally on Fox Sports Southwest. Great seats are still available and tickets can be purchased by visiting the American Airlines Center box office, logging on to Mavs.com or by calling 214-747-MAVS (6287).

Single-game tickets for the first two Mavs home games of the First Round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs are now on sale. Fans that purchase single-game tickets will receive a commemorative 2011 Mavs Playoff ticket*, which will allow the fans to experience augmented reality, a new technology that will bring the ticket to life with animated Mavs players including Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry. Game day and commemorative tickets will go live when the 2011 Playoffs begin.

Tickets will be available online at mavs.com, via phone (214-747-6287 or 1-800-4NBA-TIX) and the American Airlines Center® North Box Office**. Ticket prices start at $15 and up and there is an eight ticket limit per game. Tickets are also sold at all Ticketmaster outlets (Fiesta Grocery Stores, Simon Mall in Garland and Shops at Willow Bend).

Fans that purchase single game tickets at the American Airlines Center® North Box Office will receive their commemorative ticket at that time. For those purchasing online or at a Ticketmaster outlet, commemorative tickets will be available to pick up at the American Airlines Center® North Box Office or on Playoff game nights at the Mavs ticket sales table on the main concourse near the North Box Office. Augmented Reality is available only on Android phones. For more information, go to http://www.nba.com/mavericks/ar/ar.html.

Individual game tickets are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at the American Airlines Center box office, on Mavs.com or by calling 214-747-MAVS (6287). Get in on the action and be there for all the thrills!

Fans can visit Mavs.com or call 214.747.MAVS for more information and a complete listing of regular-season home games.