Suns Survive Mavericks in Friday Night Thriller

The Phoenix Suns kept their winning streak alive against the Dallas Mavericks.

Nov 8, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) and Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) try to take the ball away from Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) during the first quarter at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Suns - true to fashion - survived a big second half surge from the Dallas Mavericks to ultimately walk away as 114-113 winners on Friday night.

The Suns now improve to 8-1 on the season and have won their last seven games, all seemingly coming down to the wire.

Devin Booker was a late add to the injury report after being questionable with illness, though he played and registered his first double double of the season. Every Suns starter finished in double-digit scoring.

Quick Recap

The Suns emerged to a 36-26 lead after the first quarter thanks to eight three-point knockdowns from Phoenix, which included two from center Jusuf Nurkic. Tyus Jones surprisingly led all scorers with eight points in the opening frame.

Phoenix extended their lead to 14 in the early stages of the second quarter and steadied a double digit lead throughout the second quarter, eventually heading into the locker room up 63-50. The Suns shot a strong 53.5% from the field. Luka Doncic scored a game-high 16 points through 24 minutes of action.

It was the same old story for the third quarter Suns, who saw their advantage dwindle thanks to a 15-2 start by Dallas to tie things up at 65-65, though it was Phoenix who carried a 87-83 advantage into the fourth.

The Mavericks battled back to take a six-point lead halfway through the fourth before the Suns regained a 98-97 advantage. The two sides exchanged buckets before a Nurkic layup knotted things up at 111-111 with a minute left.

After a Kyrie Irving turnover on the other end, Durant missed a three-pointer before Nurkic grabbed a rebound (with help from Bradley Beal) and slammed it home for a two-point advantage with 30 seconds remaining.

After an easy alley-oop on the other end to tie the game, the Suns saw Nurkic hit the free throw line with 0.8 seconds remaining when he was fouled on a put-back attempt.

Nurkic - after missing the first - made the second and gave the Suns a one-point advantage. Doncic couldn't hit a near-impossible shot with such little time left after a timeout, and Phoenix walked away with the win.

Notable Performances

Tyus Jones - 17 PTS, 5 AST
Kevin Durant - 26 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST, 2 BLK
Devin Booker - 13 PTS, 6 REB, 12 AST
Royce O'Neale - 18 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST

Luka Doncic - 30 PTS, 7 REB, 7 AST
Kyrie Irving - 29 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST, 3 STL
Naji Marshall - 18 PTS, 5 REB

What's Next

The Suns return home to face the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.