Suns at Mavericks
THE STORY:
At least for one game, Dallas showed it can win without Dirk Nowitzki.
The Mavericks will have to do it again when they host Phoenix on Monday.
Nowitzki is expected to miss at least three more games to work on his
conditioning and get treatment on his sore right knee. His teammates,
with four players in double figures, defeated hapless New Orleans 83-81
on Saturday to close out a four-game road trip with two wins and a .500
record. "We had to get productivity from a lot of different guys,"
Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "I’m also very proud of the way after
the first two losses on the trip we bounced back and really gutted two
games out, which is not easy to do." Phoenix is in the final stop of a
five-game road trip. The Suns lost to San Antonio and Chicago, but
bounced back to defeat New York and Boston. Steve Nash scored 11 points
and had nine assists against the Celtics. "He's the motor that drives
the car," Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said. "He's everything for us."
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FS Arizona (Phoenix), FS Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE SUNS (6-9):
Phoenix relying on defense to win games? It has actually been
happening. The Suns allowed an average of 79.5 points in the wins over
the Knicks and Celtics. Phoenix has built its reputation on outscoring
opponents and pushing the ball up the floor as quickly as possible. That
has changed this season as Phoenix is averaging 92.8 points, 18th in
the league. The Suns are holding opponents to 44.2 percent shooting.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (10-7):
Dallas will need forward Lamar Odom to pick up his game if it is going
to defend its NBA title. The 13-year veteran could be taking steps in
that direction. Odom, making his first start of the season in place of
Nowitzki, scored 16 points against New Orleans. It has been a tough
adjustment for Odom since he was acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers
before the season began. Odom is scoring 7.6 points per game, well below
his career average of 14.5.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1.
Dallas was 4 of 26 on its 3-point attempts Saturday. Jason Terry and
Jason Kidd combined to miss all 13 of their shots from behind the arc.
2.
The Mavericks defeated the Suns 98-89 in Dallas on Jan. 4. Dallas has
beaten Phoenix six straight times and has won nine of the last 10
meetings. The Suns' last win in the series came Jan. 28, 2010.
3. Suns center Marcin Gortat has recorded seven consecutive double-doubles. He had 24 points and 12 rebounds against Boston.