Mavericks at Suns
The Phoenix Suns are one of the hottest teams in the NBA and are coming off a big momentum swing in a win at Denver on Friday. The Suns will try to keep moving in a positive direction and pick up a seventh win in eight games when they host the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. The Mavericks are enduring the second night of a back-to-back as well but are riding the momentum wave in the opposite direction after an overtime loss to the Toronto Raptors.
Phoenix was down by 21 points in the second quarter on Friday but went to a small lineup and turned up the defensive pressure to stun the Nuggets 103-99. “I was satisfied that the guys didn’t give up,” Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. “…We were down by 21 and the guys kept chipping away.” Dallas suffered its loss after holding a 19-point lead at home on Friday and is playing five of its next six on the road, where it is just 4-8.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Dallas), FSN Arizona (Phoenix)
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (15-11): Dallas dominated the first two games of its homestand but was frustrated by its performance on Friday. “I mean, we’ve got to be the team that loses leads quicker than any other team in the league,” Dirk Nowitzki said. “…We’ve got to learn that if we do have a lead to keep it a little longer and not lose it within three or four minutes.” Jose Calderon was looking to put the bad performance behind the team quickly and move forward to Phoenix. “We’ve got to win (Saturday) to forget about this one,” he told the team‘s website. “If not, we’re going to be counting on this one later in the season.”
ABOUT THE SUNS (15-10): Phoenix is building its early success around the backcourt combination of Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe and a strong bench that is counted on for heavy minutes. That bench stepped up with 64 points on Friday, led by Markieff Morris’ 25, and the Suns rattled in 12 3-pointers in the victory. Phoenix has a chance to make a statement over the next week with games against the teams it will be battling for the bottom half of the Western Conference’s playoff slots in Dallas, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Dallas took three of four in the series last season, including both games in Phoenix.
2. Morris has scored in double figures in four of the last six games.
3. Mavericks F Brandan Wright is 14-for21 from the field in three games since recovering from a shoulder injury.