PHOENIX – Kevin Durant scored 31 points, Jusuf Nurkic added 18 points and 14 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns defeated the Dallas Mavericks 114-102 on Saturday night.

The Suns never trailed after the first quarter, although the Mavericks kept the deficit within single digits for most of the evening. Luka Doncic scored 40 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Kyrie Irving added 22 points.

The Suns led 91-80 early in the fourth quarter and extended the lead to 105-90 six minutes later. Devin Booker added 21 points while rookie Ryan Dunn scored 13 points in his first career start. Tyus Jones added seven assists.

The Suns led by as many as 13 points in the first half, but settled for a 63-55 lead at halftime.

Takeaways

Mavericks: Doncic started well with 23 points in the first half, but cooled off after halftime. He shot 12 of 25 from the field, including 5 of 13 from 3-point range. Klay Thompson had 19 points and made five 3-pointers.

Suns: Phoenix rebounded after blowing a 22-point lead against the Lakers on Friday night. Guards Bradley Beal (elbow) and Grayson Allen (personal) did not play. Dunn played well in his first career start and it looks like he could have gotten a steal at number 28.

Key moment

With about seven minutes left, Dunn and Durant hit back-to-back 3-pointers, extending the Suns' lead to 102-90. On the next possession, Durant made a layup while being fouled and converted the free throw to extend the lead to 105-90. The 9-0 run turned a close game into a fairly comfortable win.

Key statistics

The Mavericks shot 39.8% from the field and the bench scored just nine points.

Next

The Suns play the Lakers for the second time in four days on Monday night. The Mavs return home to host the Jazz on Monday night.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA