The Dallas Mavericks fell to the Phoenix Suns on Friday evening in Dallas, losing 114-113. The loss drops the Mavericks’ record to 5-4, while the Suns improve to 8-1. It was the end of a five-game homestand in which the Mavericks lost 2-3.

Luka Doncic led all scorers with 30 points. Kyrie Irving was right behind him with 29. Kevin Durant led the Suns with 26 points.

The first quarter was a tough clinic, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering who was on the floor. Neither team could make easy shots early, but it didn’t matter as Doncic, Irving, Durant and Devin Booker hit one jumper after another. However, the Mavericks’ defense finally slipped near the end of the quarter and the Suns were able to go on the run.

Phoenix started the second quarter up 36-26 and Dallas couldn’t take the lead. The Suns were able to run their offense, while the Mavericks couldn’t find any rhythm. Dallas was able to find enough defense to keep Phoenix from running away to a big lead, but they just couldn’t get enough good shots. And when they got a good shot, they often couldn’t hit it. The turnovers were huge: the Mavericks had 10 assists and eight turnovers in the first half. That will kill you. The Suns extended the lead slightly and went into halftime with a 63-50 lead.

However, the break helped the Mavericks and they came out swinging in the third quarter. They completely cut turnovers, protected the ball for the entire twelve minutes, and at one point led the Suns by two. But Phoenix recovered and chipped away near the rim when their three-pointers stopped falling, maintaining their lead and ending the quarter with four points.

Not satisfied with the closeness, however, Dallas started the fourth quarter on a 10-2 run to race ahead. They would eventually push their lead to as many as six, but the Suns continued to fight back. As the quarter ended, the Stars traded big shots again, and the lead changed hands a few times. Ultimately, the Suns were able to take advantage of the Mavericks’ weakness in the front court (more on that later) and control the rim. They grabbed some timely offensive rebounds, leading to a series of timely three-pointers and buckets at the rim. With the score tied at 113, Jusuf Nurkic was fouled just before time ran out. He sank one of his two free throws, and that was the game.

Here are three thoughts on the loss:

The Mavericks can only beat themselves on offense

With Doncic, Irving and Klay Thompson, the Mavericks are simply too good on offense to be stopped. They can only be contained, as the saying goes. One way that happens is when they turn the ball over. They struggled in the first half with all the turnovers, then protected the ball in the third quarter and suddenly things looked much better. The Suns committed 13 points fewer turnovers in the first half, and once that tap was turned off, the Mavericks were able to take the lead. Dallas only committed one turnover in the second half, which led to two points, but those two points were huge in the end.

The pace was enormous

For years, the Mavericks plodded along, slowly moving the ball downfield to run their offense. That changed last year, with the emphasis on getting on the field faster and scoring points more easily. Dallas has continued that this year, and this game was exceptionally noticeable. After rebounds, turnovers or even opponent attacks, the Mavericks pushed the ball difficult most possessions. Irving mainly ran up the court to try to disrupt the Suns’ defense. Dallas eventually defeated Phoenix 22-8 in fast break points, keeping them in the match. But the faster pace didn’t just keep the Sun’s defense going.

Lively was missed

The Mavericks really needed Dereck Lively II tonight. Their front field fell into a hole from which it could not get out within 48 minutes. Gafford was in foul trouble all night, and while Dwight Powell performed admirably while being outmatched (a common story), he was also in foul trouble by the end of the fourth quarter. This made attacking the rim quite easy for the Suns, and allowed them to dominate the offensive boards toward the end of the game.

Remember, the game slipped away as the Suns secured four offensive rebounds with just over two minutes left and were down by three. It’s easy to think that Lively would have changed the outcome of this game, keeping Gafford out of foul trouble and providing more defense and rebounding.

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