PHOENIX (AP) — Devin Booker scored 37 points, Dillon Brooks added 28 and the Phoenix Suns edged the short-handed Dallas Mavericks 112-107 on Wednesday night.
The Mavericks pulled within 110-107 on John Poulakidas’ 3-pointer with 1:08 left and had a chance to get even closer on their next possession but Oso Ighodaro blocked Moussa Cisse at the rim to stop the rally.
Brooks made a driving layup with 13.7 seconds to finally put the game away. The Suns clinched the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference playoff race, meaning they get two chances at home to win one game in the play-in tournament.
Poulakidas — a 6-foot-5 undrafted rookie who played at Yale — scored a season-high 23 points. Rookie of the Year front-runner Cooper Flagg had a tough game, scoring 11 points on 4 of 19 shooting.
The Mavericks trailed 71-53 early in the third quarter but used an 18-1 run to get back into the game. Dallas took its first lead of the second half when Max Christie hit a 3-pointer for a 95-93 advantage with 8:16 left.
The Suns responded with a 9-0 run and didn’t trail again. Dallas had just 10 available players because of injuries.
It was a potentially costly win for the Suns. Guards Jalen Green (right knee) and Jordan Goodwin (left ankle) left the game in the first half and didn’t return, though both players were out on the court at halftime going through warmups.
Green has been limited to 32 games this season because of injuries, mostly due to his hamstring.
Suns rookie Khaman Maluach — the No. 10 overall pick out of Duke — got his first start of the season and finished with a season-high 14 rebounds. The 7-foot-1 center stuffed his college teammate Flagg on a dunk attempt in the fourth quarter.
Mavericks: At San Antonio on Friday.
Suns: At Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.
