EditorsNote: Added missing 'the' in 7th graf near Doncic; Added 'season-best' in next-to-last graf
Devin Booker scored 32 points and Deandre Ayton added 31 as the Phoenix Suns got off to a hot start Tuesday and then used a big third quarter to finish off a 133-104 road victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 19 points and Mikal Bridges added 13 as the Suns won their fourth road game in their last five tries primarily due to a 48-point third quarter.
Luka Doncic scored 21 points for the Mavericks, who lost for the third time in their last five games and dropped their second consecutive home game.
Willie Cauley-Stein scored four points in 12 minutes in his Mavericks debut. He was acquired from the Golden State Warriors in a trade on Saturday as inside presence after Dwight Powell was lost for the season on Jan. 21 because of an Achilles injury.
Phoenix used a 12-2 run in the first quarter to take a 22-9 lead and opened a 32-19 lead after one period.
Booker had 10 points in the first quarter not long after he shed a tear on the bench during a video tribute to the late Kobe Bryant before the game. Bryant was killed along with his daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash Sunday.
The Mavericks cut the deficit to 60-55 by halftime, with Doncic scoring 14 points in the half, and they appeared to have the Suns within their reach. But the Suns erupted for their 48 points in the third quarter to put the game away.
Phoenix was 18 of 26 (69.2 percent) from the field in the third quarter and 5 of 8 (62.5 percent) from 3-point range in the period.
The 48 points were the Suns' most in a single quarter since 1990. It was also the most points the Mavericks allowed in a quarter in franchise history.
Booker had 20 points in the third quarter on 7-for-9 shooting from the field and 2-for-2 from 3-point range. Phoenix extended the lead to as many as 39 points in the fourth quarter.
The Suns shot a season-best 59.3 percent from the field in the game, while the Mavericks shot 44.6 percent.
Jalen Brunson and J.J. Barea each scored 15 points for the Mavericks, who are 1-1 against the Suns this season with two games between the teams remaining.
--Field Level Media
