Suns Recap: Phoenix Battles Past Mavericks

A Markieff Morris fadeaway jumper as the shot clock winds down, with a former Defensive Player of the Year winner in his face, is usually a situation that would make any Suns fan cringe, haunted by the ghosts of rim clanks past.

Well, this time it worked.

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Morris launched the shot over the outstretched arm of Tyson Chandler, and saw it roll around the interior of the rim and drop as he slid out of bounds, giving the Suns five-point lead late in the fourth quarter that proved insurmountable in the team’s eventual 98-92 win.

An explosive 33-point first quarter gifted the Suns an early six-point advantage, which they extended to 15 at halftime behind the strong overall play of the Morii.

The Suns pushed their lead to 17 midway through the third quarter and that’s when the previously anemic Dallas Mavericks made their run.

Four consecutive lay-ups, including an acrobatic put-in from Chandler Parsons cut the lead to 10. Phoenix’s offense went cold over the next 12 minutes, resembling the bumbling play of the last few weeks.

That, combined with the litany of poor decisions the team loves to indulge in, put the Mavericks ahead 86-80.

When you can't score and there's 6 minutes left and you're down 6, you just have to get technicals, right?
— Michael Dunlap (@DunlapSports) March 23, 2015

After a minute-long scoreless stretch by both teams, the Suns cranked out a run, finally taking the lead after Archie Goodwin (playing crunch time!) passed up an open three, drove right into the body of Monta Ellis, spun off of him and nailed the layup.

Free throws by both teams and two more particularly egregious Suns turnovers left the southwestern rivals tied at 88. Goodwin was having none of it, however, as the career 23 percent shooter from distance calmly drained a trey with a hand in his face to give Phoenix a three-point edge.

Both the Morii had strong overall games, combining for 30 points, 19 rebounds and eight assists, with Marcus Morris tying a season high with seven dimes.

Eric Bledsoe led the way with 20 points and consistently set his bigs up for easy shots with well-timed dump-off passes.

The Crowd Gets It

Two weeks ago following one of Phoenix’s worst offensive performance in team history, Markieff Morris decided to to call out the crowd for not being engaged or even being present. That wasn’t an issue tonight. US Airways Center (R.I.P.) looked nearly sold out and for the first time since the trade deadline, resembled the environment that Steve Nash described as “sold out and rocking” in his retirement letter.

Speaking of Nash, what really got the crowd going was an outstanding video tribute to the future Hall of Famer. As soon as Diddy’s “I’m Coming Home” started crooning over the loudspeakers there was a tangible sense of anticipation in the air. Despite the cliched and emotionally manipulative (okay it got me going) song choice, the video highlighted just a few of the thousands of no-look passes, sweet shooting and winding cross court drives that made him so beloved.

While two minutes wasn’t nearly enough to fully honor Nash’s brilliant run, it was certainly enough to bring this crowd to the level of the team’s “Seven Seconds Or Less” heyday.

Opening Fireworks

The Suns picked up right where they left off after dropping 117 points on the Houston Rockets — their most in regulation since early February. Phoenix ripped off a 33-point first quarter. P.J. Tucker led the way opening with a corner three off a turnover and not letting up from there scoring 13 of the Suns first 22 points.

He drained two more from the corners and added an acrobatic up and under off a 50-foot outlet from Marcus Morris. It’s no coincidence that the team’s (two-game) offensive surge has coincided with their most unselfish play since the deadline. Perhaps it was the Nash tribute video that got everyone going, but the Suns had one bout of over passing that actually led to a shot clock violation. Morris finished the first half with five assists, which he’s only exceeded once over the course of a game all season.

Big Men Past and Present

Alex Len showed he was healthy early, blocking Tyson Chandler bunnies on consecutive possessions in the game’s opening minutes. Len, who finished with 10 points, further pushed the point with a nice rip through move in the second half before blowing past Chandler for a dunk.

Amar’e Stoudemire, making his US Airways Center debut as a member of the Mavericks, scored 10 of the team’s 41 points in the opening half. He showcased the athleticism that made him such a strong strong partner for Nash just missing a vicious tip dunk. STAT finished with 16 points and forever earned the love of Suns with this quip.

Amar'e Stoudemire makes his first PHX appearance as a Mav. He said he couldn't pick SA. "I couldn't do that to the (Suns) fans." #SunsVsMavs
— Paul Coro (@paulcoro) March 23, 2015

Next: Phoenix Suns: 5 Must-Win Games To Keep Playoff Hopes Alive

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