PHOENIX – The Mavericks figured they would have to fight for everything with Luka Dončić sidelined.
On Friday against Phoenix, they proved they won’t run away from any such battles.
As tempers flared and ejections ensued, the Mavericks showed they don’t mind mixing it up in on-court hostilities and persevered for a 98-89 victory over the Suns.
They had to withstand the ejections of Naji Marshall and P.J. Washington for their parts in a confrontation with Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkic that occurred on the Footprint Center court early in the third quarter.
They did it by getting clutch three-pointers from Klay Thompson (twice) and Quentin Grimes in the middle of the fourth quarter to stifle Phoenix’s attempt at a rally.
When Grimes found Daniel Gafford break loose as Mason Plumlee was overplaying him, Gafford’s dunk made it 86-75 with 5:32 left.
Then it turned into the Maxi Kleber show as the veteran big man made a one-legged pull-up from 16 feet, then got free on a breakaway, was fouled and made two free throws with 3:57 showing for a 90-75 Mavericks’ lead that turned out to be insurmountable. The Suns wouldn’t get closer than eight points the rest of the way.
But the Mavericks were just as proud of the way they handled an emotional situation with Nurkic and Marshall as they were about the win. It was a rare NBA tussle when actual swings were taken, which veteran Kyrie Irving said was good to see.
“It happened so quickly,” he said after leading the Mavericks with 20 points. “Moments like that, you just want everybody protecting themselves. I feel like that’s what P.J. was doing for Naji. Naji after he got hit was just protecting himself.
“If we’re out on the street, even though you’re not playing basketball, you got to put your hands up and at least swing back. So I’ll take care of his fine, P.J.’s fine, their ejections. Throw that (stuff) under the rug. It’s part of basketball. So maybe that’s just the way we end 2024 where somebody actually swings in the NBA. Maybe that’ll help our ratings.”
Probably not what the NBA office is thinking, but Irving knows what makes the league tick. And it livened up the arena and both teams when, with 9:02 to go in the third quarter and the Mavericks up 60-44, Marshall and Nurkic hooked up in a disagreement on the Suns’ end of the floor after Nurkic committed an offensive foul against Daniel Gafford.
They exchanged words and Nurkic swatted at Marshall’s head. Marshall responded with a strong swing at Nurkic’s head.
The two had to be separated and both were ejected, as was P.J. Washington for his part in the altercation.
Coach Jason Kidd applauded his team for its handling of the situation.
“Great team win,” Kidd said. “The guys showed character, they protected one another. It’s a big-time win on the road.
“They were just protecting each other. That’s what that was. Emotions can get high. For our guys to protect one another, we talk about it. It was displayed tonight. It’s good to see and now we move on and get ready for Portland (Saturday).”
While the exchange by Marshall and Nurkic could have lingering complications for the already shorthanded Mavericks if the league deems more punishment is deserved, it left them in a war of attrition the rest of the way against the Suns.
The game continued to be physical as the Suns chipped away at the Mavericks’ lead that grew to as much as 70-52 in the third quarter.
“Credit Naji and P.J. for setting the tone,” said Spencer Dinwiddie, who had 15 points off the bench, matching Kleber’s season-best output. “It speaks to them having Gaff’s back.
“I don’t think it was a call to action necessarily. We always talk about brotherhood. We’re happy our teammates had each other’s back. Obviously, it’s not like we swung first. We didn’t look at it like we did something wrong. We had each other’s back and we also knew we still had a game to play and a job to do. And we went out there and executed. The guys that were still in the game obviously did their job. And also P.J. and Naji did their job.”
The Mavericks improved to 20-11 and started this four-game trip in the best possible way. But it was a struggle in many ways to down the 15-15 Suns, who got 35 points from Kevin Durant, but precious little from anybody else.
The Mavericks needed all they could get from the five players who reached double figures as they spread the wealth offensively to augment a strong defensive night against Bradley Beal (5-of-18 shooting).
By the time the fourth period opened, the Mavericks’ cushion was down to 72-64 and they were missing two of their best defenders in Marshall and Washington.
That was in addition to the absence of Luka.
The Mavericks looked like they were going to take charge of this one in the second quarter, when they limited Phoenix to 14 points, an opponent season low in any quarter this season against the Mavericks.
The Suns shot 33.3 percent in the half and just 25 percent (5-of-20) in the second quarter.
That allowed the Mavericks to go up 55-39 at the break. But the game was only just beginning as things got physical after halftime.
X: @ESefko
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