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3 takeaways from the Mavericks’ failure to close out the Suns
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3 takeaways from the Mavericks’ failure to close out the Suns

The Dallas Mavericks fell to 5-4 with a 114-113 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Friday night despite taking the lead with two minutes left. It was a disappointing end to this five-game home series for the Mavs, as they only finished 2-3 in that stretch.

Phoenix was the beneficiary of an uncalled fumble foul on the play that rewarded Jusuf Nurkic with the game-winning free throw. But Dallas had chances to win this game, like Luka Doncic missing an open 3-pointer in the final two minutes that would have put the Mavs up by five. Instead, Phoenix would control the final minute and take the victory.

Here are three takeaways (and questions) from Friday night’s loss to the Suns.

READ MORE: Controversial call costs Mavericks against Suns, Dallas falls 114-113

Dallas was missing Dereck Lively II in this game, but even when he was on the court, the Mavs have allowed plenty of offensive rebounds. They are in the bottom half of the NBA in defensive rebounding and consistently give up offensive rebounds in big moments. The controversial decision was created because two Suns were in the restricted circle compared to one Maverick (even if Phoenix got away with shoving Gafford in the back, there needs to be more bodies at the basket). Dallas needs to fix this if they want to consider themselves a contender.

With Lively and PJ Washington missing, Jason Kidd fielded a key lineup with Spencer Dinwiddie in place of Naji Marshall for the final three minutes, save for a possession or two late. Marshall had a brilliant game acting as a secondary playmaker and scorer, and is an excellent defender. Dinwiddie… was barely noticeable. Marshall adds more size to the glass and it was questionable at best not having him in the game at the end.

The Mavs went 11/33 from deep in this game, dropping them to 35.2% from three on the season, which is in the bottom half of the league. Klay Thompson, who was brought in to help fix this problem, was 1/7 against Phoenix, Naji Marshall was 2/6 and Kyrie Irving had a rare “bad” night from three at 2/6. Only six of the 11 players who played for Dallas even TRIED a three-pointer. The Mavericks could still use another shooter on this team if one becomes available for trade.

READ MORE: Warriors plan unique welcome for Mavericks’ Klay Thompson

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