Mavericks Defeat Suns In Wild Defensive Contest, 98-89

Between a fight, a Klay Thompson crossover, and great defense, this game had a little bit of everything

Dec 27, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) handles the ball against Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) during the third quarter at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks played the Phoenix Suns on the first night of a road back-to-back on Friday night, playing without Luka Doncic and Dereck Lively II. They were looking to bounce back from their loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Christmas Day, while the Suns won their Christmas matchup against the Denver Nuggets.

Without two starters, Dallas started Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall, and Daniel Gafford, while Phoenix went with Tyus Jones, Bradley Beal, Ryan Dunn, Kevin Durant, and Jusuf Nurkic. Devin Booker and Grayson Allen weren't playing for the Suns on Friday night.

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It was a hot start for the Mavericks, as they ran out to an 11-2 advantage behind two three-pointers from Kyrie Irving, who will be asked to carry the load offensively on most nights. After a bucket by Kevin Durant, Daniel Gafford snagged an offensive rebound and kicked out to Irving in the corner, who knocked in his third triple of the early period to go up 14-4 just over three minutes into the game. That forced a timeout from Mike Budenholzer.

Phoenix came out of that timeout with a quick 8-0 run, fueled by five points from Bradley Beal and killed by who other than Kyrie Irving, who hit a contested triple from the corner over Ryan Dunn. After some traded baskets, the Mavericks would lead by as much as eight again, with some help from Spencer Dinwiddie off the bench, and would head into the second quarter up 28-25.

Dallas held the Suns scoreless for the first few minutes of the second quarter, allowing them to take an 11-point lead. Phoenix's offense woke up after that, but they could fight the lead down to seven before Dallas built it back up to double digits, using a technical free throw from Irving to cap it off, then a Quentin Grimes three in the corner got it up to 13.

Keeping Phoenix in the game was their ability to get second-chance points. They came into the game as one of the worst in the NBA at getting second-chance points, but the Suns had 10 in the first half, nearly matching their season average for a game. That wouldn't be enough overall, as the Mavericks still took a 55-39 lead into halftime, holding the Suns to just 14 points in the second quarter, and getting some help from a Klay Thompson stepback that sent Kevin Durant flying.

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It was an ugly start for Phoenix in the second half, including a Kevin Durant trip to the free throw line where he went 0/2. That's when things got hairy. Jusuf Nurkic picked up his second offensive foul of the half with a big hit on Daniel Gafford in the post. Naji Marshall took offense to that and confronted Nurkic, pushing him in the chest. Nurkic responded to that by full-hand slapping Marshall in the face, and Marshall punched Nurkic and connected. That led to the ejection of both players, as well as PJ Washington, who pushed Nurkic over after the slap.

This weirdly gave the Suns a little bit of momentum as they cut the lead to ten midway through the quarter. It also left the Mavs without two of their three best defenders for Kevin Durant. Dallas eventually re-gained control, as Irving broke a long scoreless drought with a corner three in transition to go up by 18. But Phoenix cut that in half over the next few minutes, getting Dallas' lead down to 72-64 entering the fourth quarter.

Klay Thompson started the fourth quarter with two tough made shots, helping build the lead back up to 11. But the Suns kept hanging around in striking distance, even if offense was hard to come by, especially in the paint. Royce O'Neale hit a three to cut the lead to six with about 6:30 remaining, which was answered with a big bucket by Quentin Grimes.

Then we got a few seconds of a Maxi Kleber masterpiece in what was easily his best game of the season. He hit a runner as the shot clock was expiring, then jumped a passing lane for a steal on the next possession, leading to two made free throws for the German. That put Dallas up 15 with about four minutes to go. A minute later, that lead was down to ten after a three by O'Neale.

Phoenix would get the lead to as little as eight in the closing minutes, but the Mavericks would go on to win 98-89 to move to 20-11 on the season.

Kyrie Irving started the game strong, but finished with 20 points on 6/21 shooting. He also had five turnovers, which is very unlike him. Daniel Gafford was second on the Mavs in scoring with 16 points, followed by Spencer Dinwiddie (15), Maxi Kleber (15), and Klay Thompson (11).

Kevin Durant was dynamite for the Suns, finishing with a game-high 35 points, he just got no help. Royce O'Neale was their second-leading scorer with 14 points, while Bradley Beal had just 11 points on 5/18 shooting.

Dallas' defense was incredible in this game, as they held a Suns team that usually scores 113 points per game to 89, shooting just 38.6% from the floor. Even without PJ Washington and Naji Marshall for most of the second half, they did a great job of shrinking the floor and making things tough inside.

The Mavericks will play in Portland on Saturday night against the Trail Blazers.

READ MORE: 3 Players Get Ejected After Fight During Mavericks-Suns Following Offensive Foul

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