Dallas, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - The Dallas Mavericks already clinched a playoff berth, so all they had in mind on Wednesday night was to play spoiler at home against the Phoenix Suns.
Monta Ellis had 20 points, Tyson Chandler chipped in 12 with 23 rebounds and the Mavs eliminated the Suns from playoff contention with a 107-104 win.
Dirk Nowitzki registered 19 points and he hit a dagger 3-pointer in the final minute that helped Dallas snap a two-game skid.
"Looking at their lineup, we knew that they were going to play a little small ball," Chandler said. "In the last couple of games we adjusted to teams. We made them adjust to us and I think we were effective with it."
Gerald Green poured in a season-high 30 points for Phoenix, which faded down the stretch in losing seven of its last eight games.
Markieff Morris had 19 points and Marcus Morris went for 12 and 10 rebounds in the loss.
"We're going to keep our heads up," Green said. "We still going to finish out the season. Obviously, it is disappointing for us. But we are going to finish out the season strong and hopefully we can build on it for next year."
Neither team led by more than four in the final quarter, and Eric Bledsoe's layup with under four minutes left gave the Suns a 100-97 lead.
Dallas answered with a 6-0 spurt to regain the edge, with Ellis' basket making it a 103-100 game with 1:51 remaining.
Bledsoe cut the deficit to 103-102 just five seconds later, but it was Nowitzki who helped put the game away.
With 22.8 seconds on the clock, Ellis found Nowitzki for a 3-pointer that made it a four-point spread. P.J. Tucker converted a putback layup off a Brandan Wright miss, then Nowitzki split a pair of free throws.
Tucker came up with two offensive rebounds at the other end after Markieff Morris and Bledsoe each missed a potential tying 3, but he stepped out of bounds with 5.1 ticks on the clock.
Rajon Rondo threw the ball away, however, and Markieff Morris got a look at another three that was off the mark as time expired.
The Suns led 30-27 after the first quarter, and Green's trey late in the second staked the visitors to a 63-59 edge at half.
The game remained clean and close in the third, with both teams combining for a total of just four turnovers in the quarter. Archie Goodwin's bucket just before the buzzer knotted it up at 85-85 entering the fourth.
Game Notes
Phoenix failed to sweep the season series from Dallas for the first time since 1997-98 ... Dallas was limited to 4-of-18 from the 3-point arc ... There were 16 ties and 14 lead changes ... The Mavs outscored the Suns 66-44 in the paint.
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