Mavericks 115, Suns 90
Dirk Nowitzki scored 19 points, Shawn Marion had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and the Dallas Mavericks won their seventh straight over the Phoenix Suns with a 115-90 home triumph on Sunday night.
The Mavericks’ bench combined for 62 points, with Jason Terry and Peja Stojakovic netting 17 apiece and J.J. Barea adding 15.
Dallas (55-25) led from start to finish, building a 36-17 lead in the opening quarter and coasting from there.
Brendan Haywood hit a free throw and Stojakovic nailed a 3-pointer as the Mavericks opened up a 23-point cushion early in the second. The lead swelled to 65-39 by halftime.
Marcin Gortat finished with 15 points and nine rebounds as the Suns (38-42) assured themselves of a sub-.500 campaign. Steve Nash returned from a strained right hamstring with six points and nine assists in 24 minutes.
The win moved Dallas into a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers - who lost to Oklahoma City later Sunday - for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.