The Dallas Mavericks (32-33) fell to the Phoenix Suns (30-34) 125-116 in a Sunday afternoon matchup. The shorthanded Mavericks showed a lot of fight for the second consecutive game after a deflating 30-point loss to the Bucks last week. The Mavericks cut a 15-point deficit to six heading into the half, reminding the Suns that they still had fight left to give as the two teams duked it out for the coveted 10th seed in the Western Conference. Dallas held on until the final five minutes of the game, where the floodgates eventually flew open, and the Suns ran away with the momentum needed to win.
Naji Marshall led the Mavericks with 34 points (career-high), 9 rebounds, and 10 assists. Klay Thompson contributed 26 points. Devin Booker led the Suns with 24.
Here are three stats to know from today’s loss:
14: Naji Marshall third-quarter points
Marshall had a hot third quarter, recording 14 points on 6-9 from the field and 2-4 from behind the arc. He led the charge once again for the Mavericks today and is a fun player who would be a nice piece for the Mavericks to hang on to for next season. The Mavericks have had a “next-man up” mentality after dealing with an injury-plagued season all year, and today was no different. They have fought hard amongst all the adversity they have faced this season, reminding me of the recent quote from Marshall where he said that the Mavericks are “Dawgs. All of us.”
17: Mavericks three-pointers
The formula for the Mavericks staying competitive in these games recently has been their hot shooting. They finished with 17 three-pointers today on 42 attempts. Max Christie and Thompson led the Mavericks with four each. Their ability to outshoot the Suns in this matchup was what kept them competitive until the lead got away from them in the fourth quarter. If they want to keep fighting, they will have to hope for the threes to keep falling.
2: Players added to the injury list
Just when you thought the Mavericks couldn’t possibly lose more guys, it happened again in the third period when Dwight Powell collided with Kessler Edwards. The two seemingly butted heads while going for a rebound, giving Powell a cut that immediately started leaking blood. The pairing quickly made their way to the locker room, leaving the Mavericks with seven available players to finish the game. Edwards came back in the fourth quarter, but Powell did not return. It was then shortly announced that Brandon Williams would not be returning to the game due to left hamstring tightness.
The Mavericks will be back in action on Monday as they travel to San Antonio to take on the Spurs, without Victor Wembanyama, at 7:30 p.m. CT.
