Suns Strokes: Turnovers and poor shooting hurt Phoenix in Big D

Sure, you could read the box score and know who won, but we all know that won’t tell you everything that happened in a basketball game. So, we will give you Suns Strokes, providing you with the analysis, quotes and notes from the Suns’ 110-95 loss to the the Mavericks on January 27.

The Good:

A night after being torched to the tune of 31 points by Tony Parker, Goran Dragic made a concerted effort to be more engaged at both ends of the floor.

In defeat, the Slovenian ended up with 18 points, eight assists, four rebounds and two blocks. He also held Darren Collison to only eight points on 3-of-7 shooting.

Michael Beasley didn’t go off like he did against the Spurs, but his confidence is apparent under Lindsey Hunter. The first-year Sun reached double-figures for the third time in four games, and did so largely by staying within himself. Beasley took just two three-point shots and was perfect from the charity stripe.

The Bad:

Turnovers were a problem early and often for Phoenix Sunday night. While the Mavericks were the better team from start to finish, the Suns made matters worse by committing 17 turnovers.

The Suns also didn’t help themselves out from distance, hitting 4-of-17 from three-point range. Dragic, Markieff Morris and Shannon Brown all took multiple attempts without hitting one.

While only two Dallas starters scored in double-figures, Phoenix had no problem letting former Suns Shawn Marion and Vince Carter have their way at the offensive end. The duo combined for 33 points on 13-of-27 shooting.

Despite sloppy play and ineffective perimeter shooting, Phoenix was able to cut a double-digit down to five with under 10 minutes to play, but Dallas responded with a 19-5 run over the next four-plus minutes to put the game out of reach.

Noted:

• Kendall Marshall played a season-high 15 minutes, and although he didn’t light up the scoreboard (six points and a rebound), the No. 13 overall pick certainly showed off his court vision and also hit two long jump shots. Lindsey Hunter even briefly played Dragic with Marshall in the fourth quarter.

• Dirk Nowitzki came into Sunday’s game averaging over 22 points per contest against Phoenix in his career. He was “limited” to just 18 points but hit several big shots down the stretch.

• Jermaine O’Neal missed his fourth straight game with an irregular heartbeat. Markieff Morris received the bulk of his minutes as Marcin Gortat’s backup.

• The Suns have lost 10 straight in Dallas dating back to the days of Steve Nash and Mike D’Antoni in 2007.

Up Next:

And speaking of Nash and D’Antoni, the Suns will return to US Airways Center for a much-anticipated reunion with their former MVP and head coach, as the Los Angeles Lakers come to town on Wednesday. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 8:30 p.m. MST.