Field Level Media
Dec 14, 2018
T.J. Warren scored a game-high 30 points, and the Phoenix Suns snapped a 10-game losing skid with a 99-89 victory over the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.
Phoenix picked up just its fifth win of the season and first since knocking off the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 23. Dallas, which continued its up-and-down, home-road act, saw its three-game win streak end one night after extending its home win streak to 11 games. The Mavs have dropped their past three road games.
The Suns probably wish they could see more of Dallas. It was their seventh consecutive win against the Mavs, including a 21-point victory in the season opener. In this one, Phoenix had control throughout, save for a Dallas run in the third quarter that cut the Suns' lead to 56-53.
Trevor Ariza's 3-pointer ended Dallas' surge, and then a second trey from Ariza powered a 16-4 run for a 72-57 lead with 3:13 left in the quarter.
Ariza finished with 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals. Reserve Jamal Crawford added 17 points in 27 minutes for Phoenix. Josh Jackson scored 14 points with eight rebounds off the Phoenix bench, including a huge 3-pointer that extended the Suns' lead to 93-83 with 3:20 to go.
Dallas played lethargically throughout, and it showed up the most on long-distance shooting. The Mavs went 5 of 33 from the beyond the arc, including a stretch in which they missed 13 in a row.
Even welcoming back Dirk Nowitzki for his debut in his 21st season with the franchise couldn't snap Dallas out of its malaise. Nowitzki missed the first 26 games after undergoing offseason ankle surgery. He was limited to six minutes off the bench, scoring two points. He banked in his first mid-range jumper and missed a 3-point attempt.
Harrison Barnes led Dallas with 15 points but cooled off from his recent hot streak from 3-point range, hitting just 2 of 9. DeAndre Jordan had 14 points and 15 rebounds, and rookie guards Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson each scored 13 points.
--Field Level Media