When it comes to the Dallas Mavericks playing the Phoenix Suns, what happens in the fourth quarter really, really matters.
The last five times these two clubs met, the Mavs took at least a five-point lead in all five games into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for the Mavs, the Suns turned up the heat and won all five of those games with a flurry of shot-making.
To put it succinctly, guard Jalen Brunson said: “They put the ball in the hole and we don’t. It’s as simple as that.
“They’re just very efficient when it comes to closing out the fourth quarter.