Suns-Mavericks Showdown: Luka Doncic Takes Charge, Driving Dallas to a Tense 1st Quarter Lead

The Phoenix Suns (25-18) will open a seven-game road trip against the rival Dallas Mavericks (24-19) on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

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The game marks the sides’ second encounter this season. Dallas defeated Phoenix in their first meeting on Christmas Day.

The Suns are one of the NBA’s hottest teams, coming into this game on the Western Conference’s current best six-game winning run. That’s Phoenix’s second-longest streak this season, and they’ve won 11 of their last 14. The Mavericks have split their last ten games and are on a two-game slump.

Phoenix is sixth in the Western Conference standings, while Dallas is eighth.

Mavericks lead Suns after Durant engages in first-quarter skirmish.

At the end of the first period, Phoenix trails Dallas 34-25.

Luka Doncic and Grant Williams lead all scorers with eight points each, with Doncic recording an early game-high four assists.

The intense Phoenix-Dallas rivalry added another paragraph early in the first quarter with Kevin Durant (six points, two assists, one steal), Jusuf Nurkic (two points, three rebounds, two assists), and Williams.

They had a scuffle near the eight-minute mark, when the Mavericks led 12–5. Durant tumbled after getting tangled with Williams after coming off Nurkic’s screen near the top of the key. As Williams argued the call to the official, he began walking over Durant, who was still on the floor. Nurkic shoved Williams to pull him away from Durant, who then shoved Nurkic, prompting Durant to stand up and shove Williams.

All three had to be separated, and the play was reviewed due to the brief confrontation. Each of these was a technical penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, and Williams received a personal foul in addition to his original infraction against Durant.