Mavericks rally to defeat Suns 119-113
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-02-18 15:33

Michael Finley matched his season high with 33 points and Josh Howard had a career-high 30, helping the undermanned Dallas Mavericks rally from a 10-point halftime deficit for a 119-113 victory over Phoenix on Thursday night.

Dallas Mavericks forward Josh Howard, center, battles Phoenix Suns guard Quentin Richardson, rear, and center Jake Voskuhl, front, for a loose ball during the first quarter Thursday, Feb. 17, 2005, in Phoenix. [AP]

The loss dropped the Suns to 41-13 and denied them an opportunity to finish with the best record in the NBA before the All-Star break. Instead, that honor goes to the idle San Antonio Spurs (41-12).

Dallas (35-16) completed a perfect four-game trip with the victory. The Mavericks beat three of the league's elite — Phoenix, Sacramento and Seattle, in addition to Golden State — on the swing through the West.

Finley, recently challenged by coach Don Nelson to step up his production, scored 25 points in the second half. In the fourth quarter, he connected on three 3-pointers and scored 13 points.

Howard, a second-year pro, surpassed his previous high of 26, set earlier this season.

The Suns concentrated on stopping Dirk Nowitzki, the league's third-leading scorer with a 27.1 average, and did a good job, holding him to 16 points. He also had 16 rebounds. But the other Mavericks stepped it up offensively.

Amare Stoudemire topped the Suns with 31 points and 12 rebounds, Quentin Richardson had 22 points, and Steve Nash added 19 points and 11 assists — the 11th consecutive game he has at least that many assists.

Dallas trailed by four points starting the final period, but surged in front for good at 95-93 on a layup by Howard with 8:05 left.

The game started slowly for two teams with high-powered offenses, and the score was only 22-22 after one period. However, the pace picked up in the second quarter, when the Mavericks hit eight of their first nine field-goal attempts and bolted to a 43-37 lead with 6 minutes remaining.

Then, the Suns ran off 11 straight points, capped by a tap-in and a 3-pointer by Richardson, and led 48-43. After Nowitzki hit a jumper, the Suns finished the half with a 7-0 spurt, including an 11-foot jumper by Stoudemire at the buzzer. That combined 18-2 burst gave the Suns a 55-45 lead at intermission.

By that time, they already had three players in double figures — Stoudemire (16), Nash (12) and Richardson (10). The Suns did a lot of their damage in the paint, outscoring Dallas 20-10 in that area.

Howard's 13 points topped the Mavericks, who hit only one of their final 10 shots in the second period.

Dallas, sparked by Finley's 12 points and Howard's 10, cut the Suns' lead to one point, 84-83, in the closing seconds of the third quarter, but Nash's three-point play with nine-tenths of a second remaining gave Phoenix an 87-83 advantage at the end of the period.

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