Dallas 111, Phoenix 108, 2OT
AP - Nov 2, 2:38 am EST
By BOB BAUM, AP Sports Writer.
November 2, 2005
PHOENIX (AP) -- Coach Avery Johnson saw a bit of himself in his Dallas Mavericks on an opening night that didn't end until Wednesday morning.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 28 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and the Mavericks erased a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Phoenix Suns 111-108 in double-overtime.
"If I was out there on that court tonight, I wouldn't quit,'' Johnson said. ``I think this team really wants to have some of my personality. They talk to me a lot about that, and it's kind of flattering. But when you really see it, man, these guys, they battled.''
The late-starting season-opener Tuesday night ended just after midnight, local time.
Nowitzki sank a pair of long jumpers and Keith Van Horn made a 3-pointer in the second overtime. After Van Horn made one of two free throws with 23.7 seconds to play, Steve Nash missed what would have been a game-tying 3-pointer at the final buzzer.
"That was a special game,'' Nowitzki said. ``To lose this one in double OT would have been really, really tough. To grind it out in the end was great.''
Jason Terry added 23 points for Dallas, including the game-tying layup at the end of the first overtime. Josh Howard had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Van Horn scored 15 and Marquis Daniels 13.
Nash scored 30, the same he averaged against his former Dallas team in last season's Western Conference semifinals. He added nine assists and eight rebounds, but had six turnovers.
Raja Bell had 18 points in his first game for the Suns. Shawn Marion had 13 points and 16 rebounds, but was just 4-for-12 shooting overall. James Jones, another Phoenix newcomer, scored 13, including 3-of-6 3-pointers.
Dallas trailed 83-66 with 7 1/2 minutes to play in regulation and 101-96 with 36 seconds left in the first overtime.
"We let them back in it both times, and it hurts,'' Nash said, "but I think that's going too happen when you have a new team and so little familiarity with that situation. You know, these are growing pains we're going to have to go through to become a good team.''
Phoenix was up 83-66 after a 9-0 run capped by Marion's dunk with 7:44 to play in regulation.
"That's when I started thinking, and that hurt us,'' Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said.
Marion and four reserves had built the big lead, but the coach decided to put Nash back in with the idea of closing it out. Instead, the rally ensued and Nash was weary at the end.
Nowitzki sank three 3-pointers in a row in a 21-3 outburst that forced overtime, then Marquis Daniels sank a 3-pointer with 29 seconds to go in the first overtime, setting up Jason Terry's layup at the buzzer that tied it at 101-101 to force the second OT.
But Van Horn made two free throws and a 3-pointer and the Suns turned cold from outside and sloppy with the ball.
"I think we just took a deep breath at the wrong time,'' Bell said. "I think we just let our guard down, and they're a team you shouldn't do that against.''
Nowitzki's third 3-pointer of the run cut the lead to 86-85 with 1:44 to play, then Terry's layup put Dallas ahead 87-86 with 1:21 to go. Marion scored inside and was fouled but missed the free throw to give Phoenix an 88-87 lead with a minute remaining in regulation.
Terry followed with another layup to give Dallas a 89-88 lead. Nash missed a fadeaway, then Terry sank one of two free throws to put Dallas up 90-88 with 15.3 seconds to go.
Nash was fouled by Howard on a drive, and made both free throws to tie it at 90-90 with 4.4 seconds left in regulation. Nowitzki missed a tough jumper over Marion at the buzzer to force overtime.
Van Horn and Nowitzki credited the play of Darrell Armstrong, who brought energy to the floor when Terry and Devin Harris were both in foul trouble.
"He was really the key to winning this game,'' Van Horn said. "He came out and really changed the game defensively. I think we all fed off his energy.''
It was a rematch of the teams that staged the high-scoring Western Conference semifinal series last season. But the Suns had just two starters, and four players overall, back from the team that won an NBA-best 62 regular-season games and lost to San Antonio in the conference finals.
A fifth returnee, all-star Amare Stoudemire, is out for at least four months while recovering from knee surgery.
Notes
Dallas C Pavel Podkolzin underwent surgery Tuesday to repair damage to his right foot and ankle. He is expected to be sidelined three to four months. ... Stoudemire, out for at least four months, did not attend the game. .... The Suns were 6-of-17 on 3s; Dallas 7-of-15, 5-for-8 after the third quarter. ... The crowd of 17,961 was 461 shy of a sellout.
