Shorthanded Suns Outlast Mavericks Despite Luka Dončić’s 40-Point Performance
Despite Luka Dončić's 40-point effort, the Mavericks struggle with fouls and depth in a 114-102 loss to the shorthanded Suns missing Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen.
PHOENIX — The Dallas Mavericks (1-1) faced their first road test of the season but fell 114-102 to the Phoenix Suns (2-1) on Saturday night at the Footprint Center. Despite high-volume scoring nights from Luka Dončić, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson, Dallas struggled with fouls, poor shooting, and defensive lapses, allowing Kevin Durant and the Suns to secure the victory.
Dončić led Dallas with 40 points and 10 rebounds and went 11-of-12 from the free-throw line. Yet the Mavericks shot just 39.8% from the field and 13-of-41 (31.7%) from 3-point range while Dončić doled out only 4 assists. Outside of Dončić, Kyrie Irving (22 points), and Klay Thompson (19 points), Dallas’ role players struggled, managing just 21 points combined.
In addition to being on the second night of a back-to-back, Phoenix managed the win without Bradley Beal, who was ruled out before the game with right elbow soreness, and Grayson Allen, who missed the matchup for personal reasons after being listed as questionable. Even without two starters, the Suns maintained offensive balance and physicality, led by Durant’s 31 points and 9 rebounds.
P.J. Washington recorded 5 points and 6 rebounds but shot 2-of-10 from the floor, including 1-of-5 from deep. Daniel Gafford contributed 7 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists but was overpowered by Phoenix’s interior presence, led by Jusuf Nurkić. Second-year player Dereck Lively II added 5 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists but faced early foul trouble that limited his impact. Jaden Hardy went scoreless in 13 minutes, missing all four of his shots, while Naji Marshall managed just 2 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists, going 1-of-5 from the floor.
“I think we had a couple great shots, feeling like a lot of short shots. I think we had some great looks that we would probably knock down some other time,” Dončić said. “They were physical with us, they played great defense, and they only allowed about 100 points so I think they were aggressive and then some great things on defense.”
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