00:00Phoenix Suns fans, let's unpack Tuesday night. It's that point in the NBA calendar where things
00:06can get a little unpredictable, but you probably didn't expect it to affect our Phoenix Suns quite
00:11like this. As the All-Star break comes into view, it's human nature for a lot of teams to ease
00:16up
00:16just a bit. For a while, our Suns looked like the exception that showed for most of Tuesday
00:22night's 120-111 victory over the Dallas Mavericks before things got way too interesting down the
00:28stretch. After that tough loss to Golden State on Thursday, where we scored only two points in the
00:33final seven-plus minutes, Phoenix, now 32-22, found ourselves flirting with a similar collapse in this
00:40one. We built a lead as large as 31 points in the first half. Even after a late Mavericks run
00:46cut it
00:46to 17 before halftime, that advantage didn't feel truly threatened until the game's closing minutes.
00:52When Phoenix went up by 17 with just under eight minutes to go, we managed only five points.
00:58Over the next six-plus minutes, letting Dallas cut the lead all the way down to six, clutch mid-range
01:04shots from Devin Booker and Dylan Brooks ultimately sealed the win. But the fact that it was necessary
01:09at all highlights a recurring issue. Similar to the Warriors' loss, the offense stalled while Brooks
01:16heated up. A general tendency to not pass the ball enough becomes really glaring in those situations.
01:22Once a few shots didn't fall, it didn't stop him. That's part of the Dylan Brooks experience,
01:27given the size of his role. It might lead to a tough conversation about cooling down in tight
01:32moments, though it's worth noting he's also been the guy to pull us through some of those moments
01:37too. Head coach Jordan Ott alluded to those ongoing conversations about late-game possessions.
01:43He said, you're just trying to get the best shot possible every possession. So if it didn't end in a
01:48high-quality shot and we had time left on the clock, we'll talk about it.
01:51Looking at individual performances, Devin Booker went 7 of 16 for 19 points,
01:566 assists, and 3 turnovers. Jalen Green, off the bench, was 5-4, 14 for 12 points.
02:04Green played 20 minutes, Booker 32. It's clear both are still working their way back to 100%.
02:10A bright spot was Ryan Dunn, who scored 12 points. That's the first time in his 33 appearances,
02:16he's cracked double-digit scoring, and it was his best performance in weeks. Coach Ott praised Dunn's
02:22force and confidence, saying, I thought tonight he was fantastic. For Dallas, now on an 8-game losing
02:29streak at 19-34, the energy wasn't there early. The Sun's energy was, Brooks set the tone with 15 of
02:36his season-high 23 points on 11 of 26 shooting in the first quarter. Green then added 9 of his
02:4212
02:42points, helping push the lead to 20 by the end of the quarter, and quickly to 30+, exposing a
02:47clear
02:48lack of defensive intensity from a Mavericks team that ranks 12th in defense for the season but has
02:53lost that identity during this skid. When our lead hit 31 in the mid-second quarter, we cruised too soon
02:59and gave up an 18-4 run to close the half. The entire second half was a question of whether
03:04another
03:04run like that would materialize and turn this into a real game, for a few possessions. It did.
03:10The primary reason Dallas was even in this game was the free-throw line. The attempt disparity was
03:1544 for the Mavericks to just 9 for the Suns. That level of imbalance just shouldn't happen,
03:21regardless of playstyles. For context, according to Stadhead, a free-throw differential of 35 or
03:27greater hasn't occurred in the last five seasons and only six times in the previous 15 years.
03:33Coach Ott addressed it. We saw it the whole night. Everyone in the arena felt it. It was frustrating
03:39for everyone. I don't think anyone that was watching was probably too happy that they spent
03:43the time watching all those whistles. Brooks picked up his 15th technical of the season
03:48in the fourth quarter. He earned it. But the overall officiating discrepancy might help his
03:53case if he contests it. He claimed he was just pointing out the foul count each official was calling.
03:58Seems like everyone, including the officials, could use that all-star break. In roster news,
04:04Amir Coffey, acquired in the Nick Richards trade, made his Suns debut at the start of the second
04:10quarter. He played 13 minutes, scoring six points, and saw surprising fourth-quarter action. With both
04:16Grayson Allen, right knee sprain, and Isaiah Livers, left shoulder sprain, out until at least
04:22the all-star break, Coffey got a chance. The 6'7 wing spent six years with the L.A. Clippers,
04:29building himself into a rotation piece before a stint in Milwaukee. He'll need to be more aggressive,
04:34though. On one play, he passed up a wide-open corner three, something we rarely see from Suns
04:39players. On the injury front, Coach Ott said pregame that both Booker and Green are in a
04:43similar evaluation tier to Mark Williams for back-to-backs. The team will check them Wednesday
04:48morning to see if they're good to go against Oklahoma City. Booker is coming back from a
04:52severe ankle sprain, and Green is still building up his game rhythm. Cole Anthony, also part of the
04:58Richards trade, is still not with the team. Arizona Sports' John Gambadoro has reported,
05:04Anthony is not expected to join the Suns. This makes sense. Given our guard depth and the need
05:09to open roster spots for two-way players, the timing of any move involves some CBA details that
05:14could benefit Phoenix to wait. For Dallas, freshly off the Anthony Davis trade, they were without Kyrie
05:20Irving, ACL tier, Derek Lively too, right foot surgery, and Klay Thompson, rest. The Mavericks
05:28have clear incentive to tank, as their upcoming first-round pick is the last they own until 2031,
05:34and this draft class is special. The problem is, they might be too good to fully bottom out,
05:40despite their recent streak. After Tuesday's games, they had the seventh-best lottery odds 4.5 games
05:47back of the third spot. This tanking race matters to us, Suns fans, because it affects schedule
05:53difficulty. Phoenix has nine more games left against teams in the top 10 of lottery odds who
05:58control their own pick. So, after a win that felt more stressful than it should have, what's your level
06:03of concern with these late-game offensive lapses becoming a pattern?
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