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Kyrie Irving scores 20, Mavs win first game after Doncic's injury by beating the Suns 98-89
PHOENIX (AP) Kyrie Irving scored 20 points, Daniel Gafford added 16 and the Dallas Mavericks won their first game since star Luka Doncic was injured, beating the Phoenix Suns 98-89 on Friday night.
Kevin Durant scored 35 points for the Suns, who have lost four of their past five games.
Doncic is expected to miss about a month with a calf injury suffered in the team’s Christmas Day loss to Minnesota. The Mavs were left further short-handed on Friday in the third quarter after forwards Naji Marshall and P.J. Washington - along with Phoenix's Jusuf Nurkic - were ejected after a brief fight.
The Mavs persevered anyway thanks to a balanced effort on both ends of the floor. Dallas never trailed and led by as many as 18. Spencer Dinwiddie and Maxi Kleber each scored 15 points and Klay Thompson added 11.
Dallas took a 55-39 lead by halftime, led by Irving's 15 points. The Suns shot just 33.3% over the first two quarters.
Mavericks: It was a gritty win for the Mavs, who controlled the game from the outset despite playing without Doncic. Irving made just 6 of 21 shots overall, but 5 of 10 from behind the arc.
Suns: Two days after a galvanizing win on Christmas Day over the Nuggets, the Suns went right back to mediocrity. Part of the problem is the absence of injured All-Star Devin Booker, but as the Mavericks showed on Friday, teams can still have a level of success without one of their stars.
The Suns briefly cut the Mavs advantage to 81-75 midway through the fourth, but Dallas' Quentin Grimes responded with a tough 3-pointer to push the lead back to nine.
The Suns have a 7-14 record since starting the season at 8-1.
Mavericks at Trail Blazers on Saturday; Suns at Warriors on Saturday.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Daniel Gafford vs. Jusuf Nurkic (Kyrie Irving gains possession) | ||
| 11:42 |  | Daniel Gafford misses two point driving hook shot | ||
| 11:40 | | Jusuf Nurkic defensive rebound | ||
| 11:28 | | Bradley Beal misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 11:25 | | Klay Thompson defensive rebound | ||
| 11:18 | | +2 | Daniel Gafford makes two point running dunk (Klay Thompson assists) | 2-0 |
| 11:00 | | +2 | Ryan Dunn makes two point turnaround jump shot (Jusuf Nurkic assists) | 2-2 |
| 10:45 | | +3 | Kyrie Irving makes three point pullup jump shot | 5-2 |
| 10:30 | | P.J. Washington personal foul (Jusuf Nurkic draws the foul) | ||
| 10:19 | | Jusuf Nurkic misses two point reverse layup | ||
| 10:18 | | Klay Thompson defensive rebound | ||
| 10:10 | | +3 | P.J. Washington makes three point running jump shot (Kyrie Irving assists) | 8-2 |
| 9:52 | | Jusuf Nurkic misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 9:50 | | Naji Marshall defensive rebound | ||
| 9:39 | | +3 | Kyrie Irving makes three point stepback jump shot (Naji Marshall assists) | 11-2 |
| 9:24 | | Tyus Jones turnover (back court violation) | ||
| 9:17 | | P.J. Washington turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 9:00 | | +2 | Kevin Durant makes two point pullup jump shot | 11-4 |
| 8:52 | | P.J. Washington misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:50 | | Daniel Gafford offensive rebound | ||
| 8:46 | | +3 | Kyrie Irving makes three point jump shot (Daniel Gafford assists) | 14-4 |
| 8:45 | | Suns 60 second timeout | ||
| 8:22 | | +2 | Bradley Beal makes two point pullup jump shot (Jusuf Nurkic assists) | 14-6 |
| 8:10 | | Naji Marshall turnover (bad pass) (Jusuf Nurkic steals) | ||
| 8:06 | | Tyus Jones misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 8:04 | | Tyus Jones offensive rebound | ||
| 8:00 | | +3 | Bradley Beal makes three point pullup jump shot (Tyus Jones assists) | 14-9 |
| 7:44 | | P.J. Washington turnover (bad pass) (Ryan Dunn steals) | ||
| 7:29 | | Daniel Gafford blocks Ryan Dunn's two point driving dunk | ||
| 7:27 | | Ryan Dunn offensive rebound | ||
| 7:24 | | +3 | Kevin Durant makes three point jump shot (Tyus Jones assists) | 14-12 |
| 6:57 | | +3 | Kyrie Irving makes three point jump shot (Klay Thompson assists) | 17-12 |
| 6:40 | | Kyrie Irving personal foul (Bradley Beal draws the foul) | ||
| 6:35 | | Ryan Dunn misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:32 | | Jusuf Nurkic offensive rebound | ||
| 6:25 | | Ryan Dunn misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:24 | | Maxi Kleber defensive rebound | ||
| 6:17 | | Kyrie Irving misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:15 | | Ryan Dunn defensive rebound | ||
| 5:57 | | +3 | Tyus Jones makes three point jump shot (Ryan Dunn assists) | 17-15 |
| 5:34 | | +3 | Maxi Kleber makes three point jump shot (Kyrie Irving assists) | 20-15 |
| 5:07 | | +2 | Kevin Durant makes two point pullup jump shot | 20-17 |
| 4:57 | | Kyrie Irving misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 4:53 | | Dwight Powell offensive rebound | ||
| 4:51 | | +2 | Quentin Grimes makes two point layup (Dwight Powell assists) | 22-17 |
| 4:29 | | Bradley Beal misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 4:27 | | Naji Marshall defensive rebound | ||
| 4:17 | | Quentin Grimes misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:12 | | Royce O'Neale defensive rebound | ||
| 4:02 | | Tyus Jones misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:00 | | Naji Marshall defensive rebound | ||
| 3:48 | | Naji Marshall misses two point driving layup | ||
| 3:46 | | Royce O'Neale defensive rebound | ||
| 3:42 | | Bradley Beal misses two point running finger roll layup | ||
| 3:40 | | Quentin Grimes defensive rebound | ||
| 3:34 | | Bradley Beal blocks Quentin Grimes's two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 3:33 | | Mavericks offensive rebound | ||
| 3:22 | | +2 | Spencer Dinwiddie makes two point driving finger roll layup | 24-17 |
| 3:12 | | +3 | Josh Okogie makes three point jump shot (Royce O'Neale assists) | 24-20 |
| 2:55 | | Royce O'Neale personal foul (Kyrie Irving draws the foul) | ||
| 2:55 | | Mavericks 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:47 | | Mason Plumlee shooting foul (Spencer Dinwiddie draws the foul) | ||
| 2:47 | | +1 | Spencer Dinwiddie makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 25-20 |
| 2:47 | | +1 | Spencer Dinwiddie makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 26-20 |
| 2:35 | | Royce O'Neale misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:31 | | Suns offensive rebound | ||
| 2:24 | | Dwight Powell blocks Josh Okogie's two point driving layup | ||
| 2:24 | | Dwight Powell defensive rebound | ||
| 2:14 | | +2 | Spencer Dinwiddie makes two point pullup jump shot | 28-20 |
| 2:00 | | Dwight Powell personal foul (Mason Plumlee draws the foul) | ||
| 1:48 | | Monte Morris misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 1:47 | | Dwight Powell defensive rebound | ||
| 1:40 | | Spencer Dinwiddie misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:36 | | Monte Morris defensive rebound | ||
| 1:26 | | +2 | Kevin Durant makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot (Monte Morris assists) | 28-22 |
| 1:14 | | Klay Thompson misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:12 | | Josh Okogie defensive rebound | ||
| 0:52 | | +3 | Josh Okogie makes three point pullup jump shot (Royce O'Neale assists) | 28-25 |
| 0:34 | | Spencer Dinwiddie misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 0:31 | | Monte Morris defensive rebound | ||
| 0:25 | | Royce O'Neale turnover (out of bounds step) | ||
| 0:13 | | Monte Morris personal foul (Klay Thompson draws the foul) | ||
| 0:09 | | Quentin Grimes turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 0:02 | | Royce O'Neale misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:01 | | Josh Okogie offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | Josh Okogie misses two point putback layup | ||
| 0:00 | | Suns offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:38 | | Bradley Beal misses two point driving layup | ||
| 11:36 | | Suns offensive rebound | ||
| 11:36 | | Suns turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 11:26 | | Jusuf Nurkic shooting foul (Daniel Gafford draws the foul) | ||
| 11:26 | | +1 | Daniel Gafford makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 29-25 |
| 11:26 | | +1 | Daniel Gafford makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 30-25 |
| 11:14 | | Bradley Beal misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 11:11 | | Kyrie Irving defensive rebound | ||
| 10:56 | | Jusuf Nurkic kicked ball violation | ||
| 10:42 | | +2 | Maxi Kleber makes two point pullup jump shot (Spencer Dinwiddie assists) | 32-25 |
| 10:23 | | Maxi Kleber kicked ball violation | ||
| 10:18 | | Daniel Gafford personal foul (Jusuf Nurkic draws the foul) | ||
| 10:08 | | Josh Okogie misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:04 | | Klay Thompson defensive rebound | ||
| 9:45 | | +2 | Daniel Gafford makes two point alley-oop layup (Klay Thompson assists) | 34-25 |
| 9:33 | | Jusuf Nurkic turnover (bad pass) (Spencer Dinwiddie steals) | ||
| 9:27 | | Kyrie Irving misses two point running finger roll layup | ||
| 9:24 | | Jusuf Nurkic defensive rebound | ||
| 9:20 | | Royce O'Neale misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:18 | | Maxi Kleber defensive rebound | ||
| 8:55 | | Kyrie Irving misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:52 | | Daniel Gafford offensive rebound | ||
| 8:52 | | Jusuf Nurkic blocks Daniel Gafford's two point putback layup | ||
| 8:51 | | Monte Morris defensive rebound | ||
| 8:39 | | Kyrie Irving personal foul (Bradley Beal draws the foul) | ||
| 8:30 | | Monte Morris misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:26 | | Mavericks defensive rebound | ||
| 8:14 | | Mavericks 60 second timeout | ||
| 8:13 | | +2 | Daniel Gafford makes two point alley-oop dunk (P.J. Washington assists) | 36-25 |
| 7:54 | | Bradley Beal misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 7:53 | | Bradley Beal offensive rebound | ||
| 7:52 | | +2 | Bradley Beal makes two point tip layup | 36-27 |
| 7:39 | | +2 | Daniel Gafford makes two point cutting dunk (Klay Thompson assists) | 38-27 |
| 7:26 | | +3 | Royce O'Neale makes three point jump shot (Bradley Beal assists) | 38-30 |
| 7:14 | | Ryan Dunn shooting foul (Spencer Dinwiddie draws the foul) | ||
| 7:14 | | +1 | Spencer Dinwiddie makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 39-30 |
| 7:14 | | +1 | Spencer Dinwiddie makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 40-30 |
| 7:02 | | +3 | Ryan Dunn makes three point jump shot (Bradley Beal assists) | 40-33 |
| 6:47 | | P.J. Washington turnover (lost ball) (Bradley Beal steals) | ||
| 6:41 | | Ryan Dunn misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:37 | | Mavericks defensive rebound | ||
| 6:22 | | Spencer Dinwiddie misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 6:19 | | Mavericks offensive rebound | ||
| 6:19 | | Oso Ighodaro personal foul (Loose ball) (Dwight Powell draws the foul) | ||
| 6:08 | | P.J. Washington misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 6:06 | | Bradley Beal defensive rebound | ||
| 5:50 | | Dwight Powell shooting foul (Oso Ighodaro draws the foul) | ||
| 5:50 | | Oso Ighodaro misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 5:50 | | Suns offensive rebound | ||
| 5:50 | | Oso Ighodaro misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 5:49 | | P.J. Washington defensive rebound | ||
| 5:38 | | +2 | Maxi Kleber makes two point cutting dunk (Kyrie Irving assists) | 42-33 |
| 5:28 | | Tyus Jones turnover (bad pass) (Kyrie Irving steals) | ||
| 5:15 | | Ryan Dunn blocks P.J. Washington's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 5:13 | | Mavericks offensive rebound | ||
| 5:11 | | Kyrie Irving offensive foul (Ryan Dunn draws the foul) | ||
| 5:11 | | Kyrie Irving turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 4:59 | | Bradley Beal misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:57 | | Maxi Kleber defensive rebound | ||
| 4:45 | | Suns technical foul (Defensive three second) | ||
| 4:45 | | +1 | Kyrie Irving makes technical free throw 1 of 1 | 43-33 |
| 4:42 | | Quentin Grimes misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:39 | | Ryan Dunn defensive rebound | ||
| 4:25 | | Kevin Durant misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 4:22 | | Maxi Kleber defensive rebound | ||
| 4:16 | | +3 | Quentin Grimes makes three point running jump shot (P.J. Washington assists) | 46-33 |
| 4:06 | | Suns 60 second timeout | ||
| 3:55 | | Kevin Durant misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 3:53 | | Bradley Beal offensive rebound | ||
| 3:50 | | +2 | Bradley Beal makes two point turnaround jump shot | 46-35 |
| 3:36 | | Kyrie Irving misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 3:33 | | Kevin Durant defensive rebound | ||
| 3:29 | | Bradley Beal turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 3:17 | | Bradley Beal personal foul (Kyrie Irving draws the foul) | ||
| 3:06 | | Tyus Jones blocks Kyrie Irving's three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 3:04 | | Maxi Kleber offensive rebound | ||