Wednesday’s 132-109 victory over the Dallas Mavericks was the eighth consecutive victory for the visiting Phoenix Suns, led by 30 of Devin Booker’s 46 points in the second half.
Phoenix outscored the Mavericks 43–20 in the third quarter after trailing by as many as 16 points in the first. Kevin Durant had 12 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, while Bradley Beal had 20 points. Grayson Allen scored 15 points.
Booker ended the game shooting 6 of 10 from 3-point range and 17 of 23 from the field. He scored 22 points in the game’s pivotal third quarter. Booker grabbed seven rebounds as well.
With 34 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists, Luka Doncic led Dallas. Jaden Hardy added 11 points, and Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 17. Midway through the third quarter, Grant Williams scored eight points and was sent the exit following his second technical foul.
Phoenix shot 60 percent from the field and 14 of 34 (41.2 percent) from three-point range to exact revenge on the Mavericks, whom they lost at home by 14 points on Christmas Day.
With 11 points from Keita Bates-Diop, the Suns have now won 12 of their previous 15 games.
Due to a sprained right thumb, Kyrie Irving, Dallas’ second-leading scorer, was unable to participate, and the team suffered its third straight loss.
In a tense first quarter, the Mavericks started the game by making 7 of 10 3-pointers. After a quick altercation, Durant, Williams, and Jusuf Nurkic of the Suns were all issued technical fouls.
The Suns ran a 17-4 run to narrow the score to 58-57 at the half after the Mavericks had taken a 34-25 lead into the second quarter and extended it to 16. Booker finished the quarter with 16 points, including eight during the stretch.
After scoring the first eight points of the third quarter, the Suns took the lead for the first time.
After going 9 of 11 from the field during the quarter, Booker made a 3-pointer to increase the Suns’ advantage to 89-68.
Phoenix rested their starters in the closing minutes of the game while still holding a double-digit advantage.
