Phoenix Suns Team Report - March 9

(Basketball News) - The Phoenix Suns dropped their second straight game on Monday when they found themselves on the losing end of a 103-90 decision against the Dallas Mavericks at the AmericanAirlines Center.

Shawn Marion paced the Suns with a game-high 29 points and ripped down 13 rebounds, as Phoenix lost on the road for the eighth time in the last nine tries. Amare Stoudemire had 19 points while Joe Johnson scored 17 in the losing effort.

Dallas led by double-digits since the 4:16 mark of the second quarter, but Phoenix used a quick 5-0 run, capped by a Marion tip-in off a Casey Jacobsen miss, to get within eight at 85-77 with 8:53 left in the final period.

However, the Mavericks put the game away with a 13-3 run over the next 5 1/2 minutes and Phoenix never got closer than the final margin.

Stoudemire had at least 20 points and had led the Suns in scoring in 11 consecutive games. He fell one game short of matching the club record for leading the team in scoring set by Charlie Scott in 1974-75.

Phoenix will get a bit of a rest before returning to the court on Friday against the Utah Jazz in the start of a brief two-game homestand that will conclude against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday.

The Suns have won just twice in their last six on their homecourt.