Suns  101    Mavericks  102

Phoenix Suns (15-6) at Dallas Mavericks (14-7), 8:30 p.m.

Sports Network | December 8, 2009

(Sports Network) - Two of the top teams in the Western Conference hope to bounce back from disappointing losses Tuesday in north Texas as the Dallas Mavericks welcome the Phoenix Suns to American Airlines Center.

The Mavs, who lead the Southwest Division by 2 1/2 games over Houston, laid an egg offensively Saturday when Atlanta's Joe Johnson poured in 31 points and the Hawks overcame a poor shooting night to beat Dallas, 80-75, snapping a five-game road skid against the Mavericks.

Dirk Nowitzki had 32 points and nine boards for Dallas, which has lost two in a row for the first time all season. Jason Terry, making his first start since March of last season, added 17 points in defeat.

"Once again, we struggled to shoot the ball and some of that certainly was Atlanta," said Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. "They have length and they are hard to score against."

Dallas hasn't lost three straight since a four-game slide from Jan. 9-14 last season.

The Suns, meanwhile, lost a Pacific Division showdown with the mighty Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. Kobe Bryant poured in 26 points and pulled down seven rebounds in that one as the Lakers stretched their winning streak to nine games in a 108-88 blowout of the Suns.

Amare Stoudemire had 18 points for Phoenix, which lost for the third time in four games and now stands two games behind LA in the Pacific. Steve Nash chipped in 12 points and 10 assists, while Grant Hill also scored 12 in defeat.

"We did have a good first half, but they're so long, they bottled up everything we tried to do," said Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry. "They take you out of your rhythm."

The Suns are a perfect 7-0 at home this season compared to a more pedestrian 8-6 as the visitor but the key to predicting success for Phoenix seems to be Nash. When the former two-time MVP gets his teammates involved, the Suns are very tough to stop. In fact, Phoenix is 9-0 when Nash has 11 or more assists vs. 6-6 when he doesn't.

The Mavs took three of four meetings with the Suns last season, including both bouts in Dallas.