DALLAS — Devin Booker scored 22 of his 46 points in a decisive third quarter and the Phoenix Suns matched their longest winning streak of the season at seven games with a 132-109 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
Kevin Durant had 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Suns opened a seven-game road trip, their longest this season, by turning a 16-point deficit in the second quarter into a 22-point lead after outscoring Dallas 43-20 in the third.
Kyrie Irving was out for the Mavericks, who have lost four of five, after spraining his right thumb early in a loss to Boston two nights earlier. It was the 22nd time in 44 games Dallas has played without one or both of its stars.
Luka Doncic had 34 points, eight rebounds and nine assists without his All-Star sidekick, but didn’t have much help while the Suns got 20 points from Bradley Beal and 15 from Grayson Allen.
Phoenix's scoring surge to start the second half began with a free throw from Booker for a 58-all tie after Doncic was assessed one of the game's seven technical fouls for complaining to officials on his way to the locker room after the first-half buzzer.
An early triple-technical set into motion another chippy meeting of 2022 playoff foes when Grant Williams bumped Durant and stood over him after being called for the foul. Jusuf Nurkic shoved Williams, who went after the Phoenix center. All three players were given technicals.
In the third quarter, Nurkic said something to set off Williams again after they made contact, and the Dallas forward was given a second technical and ejected after complaining to an official about Nurkic.
Nurkic got an unsportsmanlike technical, which doesn't count toward an ejection when he was called for a flop after Dallas challenged a foul call against Dereck Lively II. The foul was erased and the flop was assessed.
Doncic also was responsible for the ejection of a fan when he overheard a Suns supporter yell to Doncic that he was tired and needed to get on a treadmill. With the game still going, Doncic immediately turned and pointed in the direction of the fan. The fan was ejected a few minutes later.
Doncic's motion to get the fan ejected came while Booker was going 9 of 11 from the field in his dominant third quarter.
The Suns trailed 51-35 midway through the second, but Booker gave them their first 20-point lead on a driving layup with 4 1/2 minutes left in the third.