The Dallas Mavericks suffered their second straight loss on Wednesday, falling to the Phoenix Suns 112-107 in their showdown at the Mortgage Matchup Center.
Star rookie Cooper Flagg, who averaged 40.3 points in their past three games before the Suns matchup, struggled mightily and finished with just 11 points on 4-of-18 shooting. He did record 11 rebounds and six assists in a losing effort.
Two-way contract player John Poulakidas led the Mavs in scoring with 23 points, while Marvin Bagley III added 20 points.
For the Suns, Devin Booker exploded for 37 points on 13-of-27 shooting, along with five boards and nine dimes. Dillon Brooks tallied 28 points, as Phoenix led by as many as 18 points before settling for a five-point victory.
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The game wasn’t without issues, though, as the NBA’s Last Two Minute Report revealed one officiating error.
With 36 seconds left and the Suns only ahead by three, 110-107, Dwight Powell inbounded the ball for the Mavs. He passed it to Moussa Cisse, who cut to the basket and received the ball under the rim. Unfortunately, the Dallas big man missed an easy layup.
However, Powell apparently took more than five seconds to inbound the ball, which should have stopped the play from even happening and forced a turnover. The NBA called it an incorrect non-call.
While it didn’t have a major impact on the game since the Mavericks didn’t score on the play and the Suns still won, it certainly would have been disastrous if the outcome had been different.
Phoenix improved to 44-36 on the season with the win, while the Mavericks dropped to 25-55.
Related: Mavericks Rookie Cooper Flagg Admits Issue With His 31-Point Game