Mavericks at Suns
THE STORY: The Dallas Mavericks could have some heavy legs going into Monday’s road game against the Phoenix Suns, but they only have themselves to blame. Dallas blew an 18-point third-quarter lead and wound up needing a last-second jumper by Jason Terry just to force the game into overtime before squeezing out a one-point decision over the Spurs. The Mavericks got some bad news when they learned that point guard Jason Kidd will be out at least a week with a calf strain. That was negated somewhat by the return of Dirk Nowitzki from a conditioning stint to help strengthen his ailing right knee. “I’m moving better,” Nowitzki said. “Definitely that was an improvement from before.” The Suns have their own injury concerns. Point guard Steve Nash suffered a thigh bruise on the final play of Saturday’s win over Memphis and is questionable against the Mavericks, who have beaten Phoenix seven straight times.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FS Southwest (Dallas), FS Arizona (Phoenix)
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (13-8): Terry looks to be out of his shooting slump after pouring in a season-high 34 points and connecting on 14 of 23 from the field. He also had 18 points and hit three 3-pointers in Saturday’s win over Utah. Prior to that, Terry had gone 4 of 28 from behind in the arc during a four-game stretch. Vince Carter returned to the starting lineup and scored a season-high 21 points in the win over the Spurs.
ABOUT THE SUNS (7-12): If he is able to play Monday, Nash can set a franchise record for career assists with Phoenix. He needs seven to surpass Kevin Johnson (6,518). Nash played six seasons with the Mavericks, but his career took off when he rejoined the Suns in 2004-05. He averaged at least 11 assists in five of the previous seven seasons, twice winning league MVP honors. He hit another milestone Saturday night, playing his 700th game in a Phoenix uniform.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Suns center Marcin Gortat has ripped down double-digit rebounds in 11 straight games, the longest active streak in the league.
2. The Mavericks’ last loss to the Suns came in Phoenix on Jan. 28, 2010.