Jusuf Nurkic hit the go-ahead free throw with 0.8 seconds remaining as the Phoenix Suns slipped past the host Dallas Mavericks 114-113 on Friday.
Nurkic was fouled by Daniel Gafford with the score tied at 113 and made the second free throw after missing the first. The Phoenix big man finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Kevin Durant scored 26 points on 8-of-14 shooting and Royce O’Neale added 18 off the bench for the Suns, who have won seven straight games and remain tied atop the Western Conference with Oklahoma City.
Phoenix also got 17 points from Tyus Jones, 15 from Bradley Beal and 13 points and 12 assists from Devin Booker.
Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 30 points on 11-of-25 shooting, while Kyrie Irving added 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Klay Thompson finished 1-of-7 from 3-point range on the way to 12 points.
The Suns went to halftime with a 63-50 advantage after outscoring the Mavericks 27-24 in the second quarter. Phoenix shot 53.5 percent from the field in the first half, with Booker chipping in 11 points and eight assists. O’Neale had 11 of his points in the first half on 4-of-4 shooting from the field, including three 3-pointers.
The Mavericks erased their 13-point halftime deficit by opening the third quarter on a 15-2 run, aided in large part by two deep threes from Doncic. Both teams traded baskets until the Suns went on an 8-0 run to regain a 79-73 lead. The Mavericks cut the lead to four points going into the fourth quarter, outscoring the Suns 33-24 in the third.
Dallas then started the fourth quarter on a 14-4 run, forcing the Suns to take a timeout with 7:39 remaining in the game now trailing 97-91. Phoenix answered with a 7-0 run to take a 98-97 lead before another back-and-forth between the Western Conference heavyweights led to a prize fight-esque battle down the stretch.
The Suns ended up winning that battle, outscoring the Mavericks 14-13 over the last 5:23.
Phoenix shot 43-of-86 (50 percent) from the field overall, including 15-of-39 (38.5 percent) from 3-point range. Dallas finished 41-of-80 (51.2 percent) from the field and 11-of-33 (33.3 percent) from distance.
