Canaan breaks left ankle as Suns hand Mavericks fifth consecutive loss
The end of the Phoenix Suns’ five-game losing streak came with a sobering sidebar, a gruesome injury to backup point guard Isaiah Canaan.
Rookie forward Josh Jackson matched his career best with 21 points and T.J. Warren added 20 as the Suns handed the Dallas Mavericks their fifth loss in a row, 102-88 on Wednesday night.
But anyone who saw Canaan break his left ankle probably wished they hadn’t.
Driving to the basket in the final seconds of the first quarter, Canaan was fouled by Wesley Matthews and landed awkwardly. His left foot twisted almost 180 degrees in the wrong direction.
As trainers rushed to Canaan, the crowd groaned and some of his shocked teammates covered their eyes or looked away. Phoenix guard Devin Booker pulled his jersey over his face.
Team doctor Tom Carter rotated the foot and ankle back into their proper positions and said afterward that Canaan never uttered a word of pain. He was loaded onto a stretcher and wheeled off the court.
“It’s hard for fans and everyone sitting right there, and teammates especially, a guy they battle with every day. It’s their friend on and off the court,” Suns interim coach Jay Triano said. “I used the timeout to let us say a quick prayer and get us refocused again to keep playing.”
Marquese Chriss had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Suns, who beat Dallas for the fourth time in a row dating to last season.
After missing Monday night’s game in Memphis with bruised ribs, Booker was back at point guard for Phoenix. He played 32 minutes and scored 15 points.
“I think we were just playing with high energy,” Booker said. “A lot of our points were in transition. Josh and T.J. ran the lanes and it started at the defensive end.”
Dennis Smith Jr. scored 17, Harrison Barnes 15 and Dirk Nowitzki 14 for the Mavericks, who shot just 36 percent.
Booker opened the game with a 3-pointer and Phoenix never relinquished the lead.
Danuel House made two 3s and Canaan and Jared Dudley one apiece in a 12-2 run that put the Suns up 35-14 with 23 seconds left in the first quarter. Phoenix led 36-17 after one.
“Bad first quarter put us in a huge hole,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “The rest of the game was somewhat manageable but the first quarter, down by 19 points, is just too big a hole on the road.”
The Mavericks cut it to single digits twice in the second quarter and were down 57-46 at halftime. Phoenix dominated the third period, leading 81-58 after a 3 by Troy Daniels with 2:20 left.
The Mavericks cut it to 91-84 on Smith’s 3-pointer with 3:17 to go, but Booker responded with a three-point play to put Phoenix up 94-84. Dallas never got it to single digits again.
Dallas | 17 | 29 | 15 | 27 | — | 88 |
Phoenix | 36 | 21 | 24 | 21 | — | 102 |
DALLAS (88)—Barnes 5-17 3-5 15, Nowitzki 5-8 1-2 14, Powell 3-4 1-3 7, Smith Jr. 6-15 4-9 17, Matthews 2-17 2-2 6, Kleber 1-4 0-0 2, Mejri 0-1 0-0 0, Harris 4-8 1-1 10, Ferrell 5-12 0-0 13, Collinsworth 1-2 2-4 4. Totals 32-88 14-26 88.
PHOENIX (102)—Warren 10-16 0-1 20, Chriss 5-7 4-5 15, Chandler 2-3 2-4 6, Booker 5-14 3-3 15, Jackson 9-14 2-2 21, House 2-6 0-0 6, Dudley 1-4 0-0 3, Bender 2-5 0-0 4, Monroe 0-0 0-0 0, Ulis 0-5 0-0 0, Canaan 1-2 0-0 3, Daniels 3-7 0-0 9. Totals 40-83 11-15 102.
3-Point Goals—Dallas 10-36 (Nowitzki 3-5, Ferrell 3-7, Barnes 2-5, Smith Jr. 1-4, Harris 1-4, Collinsworth 0-1, Kleber 0-1, Matthews 0-9), Phoenix 11-30 (Daniels 3-7, House 2-3, Booker 2-7, Canaan 1-1, Chriss 1-2, Jackson 1-3, Dudley 1-3, Warren 0-1, Ulis 0-1, Bender 0-2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Dallas 49 (Nowitzki 10), Phoenix 47 (Chriss 12). Assists—Dallas 18 (Smith Jr. 6), Phoenix 23 (Warren, Booker 4). Total Fouls—Dallas 18, Phoenix 29. Technicals—Nowitzki, Matthews. A—15,923 (18,055).
This story was originally published February 1, 2018 at 10:19 AM with the headline "Canaan breaks left ankle as Suns hand Mavericks fifth consecutive loss."