Depleted Mavs fall to Suns, 125-116, despite near triple-double from Naji Marshall

Mar 9, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (13) looks on during the second half against the Phoenix Suns at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

During one of the most soul-crushing, hopeless stretches a franchise has ever experienced, the Dallas Mavericks suffered their fifth-straight loss, this time coming at home against a Western Conference rival. Eight players appeared on the injury list for the Mavs prior to tipoff, with two more exiting before the final buzzer sounded.

The opposing Phoenix Suns, who are in rough shape themselves, dominated the paint against Dallas’ completely decimated frontcourt, outscoring them by 20 in the paint and grabbing 14 more boards. Dallas bigs Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, and newly signed Kai Jones were all out for this game with a rash of different ailments, which ended up being a deciding factor as the Suns pulled out the victory, 125-116.

Despite the turmoil in which Dallas’ premier basketball operation sits currently, Naji Marshall is still giving max effort, evident in his 34-point, nine-rebound, 10-assist outing in the loss. Setting a career-high in points and nearly recording a triple-double, Marshall was a good majority of the offense outside of 26 points from Klay Thompson. Brand-new starter Brandon Williams, who exited with hamstring tightness in the second half, would be the 10th player on the injury list by the end of the contest, but managed 13 points, five rebounds, and five assists before leaving the game. Exum and Christie each scored 12 while Kessler Edwards had 10.

For Phoenix, guard Devin Booker led the team in scoring with 24 points, 18 of which came in the second half against an exhausted Mavericks lineup with essentially no depth due to injury. Durant had a near triple-double with 21 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, but overall, the Suns used a balanced scoring attack to take down the Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Beal had 19 points, Allen had 17, and bigs Nick Richards (14 points, nine rebounds) and Mason Plumlee (13 points, five rebounds) met no resistance in the painted area. Dallas at one point had a single player over 6-foot-5 who was able to play (Marshall), resulting in easy opportunities for Phoenix’s center tandem.

Since the horrifically ill-advised trade between Dallas and the LA Lakers that sent homegrown superstar Luka Doncic out West for a very injury-prone center in the aforementioned Davis, it has been a truly miserable few weeks for Dallas and its fanbase. Davis went down after three quarters in his first game with the Mavericks; Kyrie Irving tore his ACL against the Kings last week; Dereck Lively II suffered a stress fracture in his ankle; Daniel Gafford sprained his knee.

It seems the franchise is beyond saving with its current makeup, but at this point, it is too late to tank into a highly coveted NBA Draft pick in 2025. It would be advisable for this front office to start from scratch again, which would likely include cleaning house. Understandably, it is a tough reality to accept after being in the NBA Finals just nine months ago.

The Mavericks are back in action against the Spurs tomorrow night.

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Depleted Mavs fall to Suns, 125-116, despite near triple-double from Naji Marshall

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