By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: 22:07 GMT, 9 March 2025 | Updated: 22:07 GMT, 9 March 2025
DALLAS (AP) - Devin Booker scored 24 points, Kevin Durant had 21 points, nine rebounds and eight assists and the Phoenix Suns beat the injury-depleted Dallas Mavericks 125-116 on Sunday.
Bradley Beal scored 19 points and Grayson Allen added 17 as the Suns pulled within 1 1/2 games of Dallas for the 10th seed in the Western Conference, the final spot in the play-in tournament.
Naji Marshall had a career high for the second consecutive game with 34 points for the Mavericks, the defending West champs who were down to seven healthy players by the end of the game.
Dallas big men Kessler Edwards and Dwight Powell went to the locker room after their heads collided chasing a loose ball late in the third quarter. Guard Brandon Williams was later ruled out with left hamstring tightness.
Edwards returned with a bandage over his left eye, but Powell didn't come back after walking to the bench with a bleeding forehead, getting treated briefly and leaving the court.
Suns: Rim protection is a big issue for the vertically challenged Mavs. And Mason Plumlee had three consecutive dunks in the first half, then back-to-back alley-oop slams after the break. The 6-foot-10 Plumlee finished with 13 points.
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, right, dribbles to the basket against Dallas Mavericks forward Kessler Edwards during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 9, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Mavericks: Dallas matched its longest losing streak of the season at five games and dropped below .500 for the first time since mid-November. The Mavs have lost all three games since star guard Kyrie Irving´s season-ending knee injury.
Booker hit a jumper that started a 19-2 run for Phoenix bridging the first and second quarters that put the Suns in front for good. Phoenix turned a 22-18 deficit into a 37-34 lead.
The Suns shot 58% from the field.
Both teams finish a back-to-back Monday. The Suns visit Memphis, and the Mavericks play the first of consecutive games in San Antonio.
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Dallas Mavericks players, from left, Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, Jaden Hardy, and P.J. Washington wear street clothes as they watch the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Phoenix Suns Sunday, March 9, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Dallas Mavericks guard Brandon Williams dribbles up court against the Phoenix Suns during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 9, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Phoenix Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer reacts during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks Sunday, March 9, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen (8) is double-teamed by Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis, center, and guard Brandon Williams during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 9, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)