Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion led the Dallas Mavericks to a 115-90 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night, keeping alive hopes of snagging the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
With a second straight win, Dallas improved to 55-25. The Los Angeles Lakers were 55-24 -- and losers of four straight -- going into their game against Oklahoma City later Sunday.
Because the Lakers hold the tiebreaker over the Mavericks, Dallas must finish ahead of Los Angeles to get the second spot and home-court advantage in the second round of the playoffs.
Nowitzki scored 19 points, and Marion had 18 points and 11 boards. Each played only 28 minutes, which should help keep them fresh for the final two games.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
