Fourth-quarter defense helps Dirk-less Mavericks outlast Phoenix

Deron Williams didn’t let an allergic reaction keep him down.

The veteran point guard poured in 12 of his 27 points in the second quarter Sunday night as the Dallas Mavericks completed the brutal month of January with a hard-fought 91-78 victory over the hapless Phoenix Suns at American Airlines Center.

Dallas put the game away in the last nine minutes by scoring 23 of the game’s final 28 points.

The Mavs are 28-22 heading into Monday night’s game at Atlanta after finishing January with a 9-9 record.

While trying to keep bodies fresh for the long haul, the Mavs played without forward Dirk Nowitzki, who was resting on the front end of a back-to-back. Dallas needed someone to pick up the slack and Williams definitely did, going 10 of 19 from the field in his second-most productive game of the season.

“D-Will got up this morning and had some kind of allergic reaction, and he didn’t come to shootaround,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “He recovered well and played a monster game.”

A reverse layup by Williams put the Mavs ahead 84-76 with 2:15 to go. Then, with the shot clock winding down, Williams tossed in a 3-pointer that padded the Dallas lead to 87-76 and put the game out of reach with 1:35 remaining.

“I just had it going there in that second quarter right before halftime,” Williams said. “I think everyone knows when Dirk is out we have to step up a little bit when it comes to scoring.”

The Mavs had difficulties in overcoming a Suns team with a 14-35 record. Phoenix actually led 69-68 after the third quarter, but had problems locating the basket in the final period.

With the Mavs buckling down on defense, they were able to outscore the Suns 23-9 in the fourth quarter. It was the fewest points that the Mavs have allowed in a fourth quarter this season, and Markieff Morris scored all nine of those points for Phoenix.

“Well, it was a hard game because we don’t have Dirk out there for one thing, and they are a team that has a fighting spirit,” Carlisle said. “We knew it was going to be a [tough] game, and in the end we outlasted them.

“I believe, in the end, they got tired and weren’t quite as deep as us.”

The Mavs shot just 39.7 percent from the field but held the Suns to 36.5 percent shooting. Dallas also scored 25 points off 20 Phoenix turnovers.

But that lock-down defense the Mavs employed in the fourth quarter — when the Suns were 3 of 15 from the field — was more than enough to tip the scales in Dallas’ favor.

“Well, it was one of those nights where you couldn’t put the ball in the basket, but you have to find a way to contribute to the team no matter what,” said guard Raymond Felton, who had 10 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals. “So that’s on the defensive end; that’s trying to rebound or make plays for others.”

Phoenix charged ahead 23-21 after the first quarter but trailed 51-45 at intermission. Neither team could manage much breathing room until the fourth quarter, when the Mavs tightened up on defense and the Suns couldn’t find the basket.

“We just kept hanging in there and found ways to get the ball in the basket,” Carlisle said. “And we just had a lot of guys play big.”

Chandler Parsons (15 points), J.J. Barea (10 points) and Zaza Pachulia (nine points, 15 rebounds) helped the Mavs stay balanced. Barea in particular scored eight points in the final 1:54 of the third period, stopping the Suns from getting some major distance between themselves and the Mavs.

“It’s a huge win with Dirk sitting out,” Carlisle said. “Now we’ve got to get on the plane and we’ve got another one tomorrow.”

This story was originally published January 31, 2016 at 10:37 PM with the headline "Fourth-quarter defense helps Dirk-less Mavericks outlast Phoenix."