Mavericks upend Warriors at home
The NBA-leading Phoenix Suns and Western Conference rivals Golden State both tumbled Sunday.
The surging Utah Jazz, fueled by 26 points from Donovan Mitchell, downed the Suns 118-114 to post their eighth victory in nine games.
Utah’s Rudy Gobert returned after missing six games with a sore right knee and non-coronavirus illness, scoring 16 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. That included a season-high eight offensive rebounds.
The Suns, who still own the best record in the NBA at 49-12, lost back-to-back games for the first time since dropping two on December 25 and 27.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 30 points. Cameron Johnson and Deandre Ayton added 23 apiece but Phoenix are clearly still finding their way in their third game since losing All-Star point guard Chris Paul to a broken thumb that could sideline him the rest of the regular season.
The Golden State Warriors, chasing the Suns for top spot in the West, couldn’t capitalize, surrendering a 21-point third-quarter lead in a 107-101 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in San Francisco.
On the eve of his 23rd birthday, Luka Doncic scored 34 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for Dallas, connecting on a pair of key baskets down the stretch and draining the clinching free throws in the waning seconds.
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 24 points with four rebounds and five assists off the bench for Dallas, playing a key role in the fourth-quarter surge that overwhelmed the Warriors.
After leading by as many as 21 points and then 88-74 entering the final period, the Warriors got a three-point hoop from Otto Porter Jr and a layup from Damion Lee to extend the margin to 19 in the third minute of the fourth quarter before the Mavericks dominated the rest of the way.
Dallas outscored Golden State 33-13 in the final period, when the Warriors made just four of their 18 attempts from the field.
Stephen Curry finished with 27 points and 10 assists for the Warriors but, without Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, Golden State had no answer to the Mavs’ late charge.
There was another embarrassing defeat for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, who were beaten 123-95 by the New Orleans Pelicans.
CJ McCollum scored 22 points to lead six Pelicans players in double figures, and New Orleans easily withstood a 32-point performance from James to hand the Lakers their second straight defeat since the All-star break.
Elsewhere, Kelly Olynyk drained a jump shot from the baseline as time expired to lift the Detroit Pistons to a 127-126 overtime win over the Hornets in Charlotte.
The Los Angeles Clippers pulled out a close one in Houston, where they edged the Rockets 99-98.
Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (left) goes up for a layup against Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton on February 27, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. Photo: IC
