Steve Nash had 21 points and seven assists and Boris Diaw contributed 20 points and nine rebounds, but it was the energetic return of Bell that set the tone for the Suns.
"It was a big game for us. We couldn’t afford to go down 1-3 and go back to Dallas," Bell said. "We dodged a bullet in the first round with the Lakers and didn’t want to have to do that again."
Nowitzki, who came into the game averaging 28.4 points in the playoffs, was limited to a season-low 11 on 3-of-13 shooting.
"You can’t ever really take full credit for shutting out a player like Dirk," Nash said. "There’s nights out there for all great players and we were lucky that tonight was one of those."
Bell had missed the last two games of the series with a left calf injury, and even though he had only nine points, it was his defensive prowess that helped carry the Suns.
"His toughness, those are the kinds of things that transcend even what he does to the balance of our team and the rhythm of our team and everyone’s roles going back intact," Nash said of Bell. "It’s night and day, what he means just intangibly rather than what he does tangibly."
Shawn Marion ended with 15 points and eight boards for Phoenix, which used a huge second half run to pull away. The Suns shot 54.4 percent from the field, including a 10-for-13 effort from Barbosa.
Dallas’ Josh Howard scored 16 points, but tweaked his left ankle in the fourth quarter. Jason Terry and Adrian Griffin each added 13 points for the Mavericks, who suffered a setback in their quest to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
"We just didn’t have it. We were not there mentally or physically," Mavericks head coach Avery Johnson said. "We came down here and we were fortunate to get Game 3. We’re still in good shape."
Dallas held the Suns to 88 points in a Game 3 victory Sunday night in Phoenix, but the Mavericks didn’t have an answer for the solid defense of Bell and the up-tempo style.
"They double-teamed me and got the ball out of my hands some," Nowitzki said. "I still have to be more aggressive and still look for my game. If it’s not there, just swing it, make my teammates better."
Game 5 will be played in Dallas on Thursday.
Terry’s three-pointer with just under four minutes left in the third brought the Mavs within 67-65, but the Suns blazed through Dallas’ defense through the end of the period into the fourth. It was a 29-6 run that put the Mavericks away.
Bell’s jumper started the run, which turned into seven straight Phoenix points. Barbosa drained a three-pointer during the run and Marion’s slam in the final minute of the quarter expanded the Suns to a 79-67 lead going into the fourth.
Nowitzki plowed over Bell in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, but the foul was called on the Phoenix guard with the crowd showing its disapproval. Nevertheless, the Suns pulled away for good in the ensuing minute, as Barbosa drilled a three-pointer and Diaw threw down a thunderous dunk after bobbling a pass from Marion to extend the lead to 87-69.
Another Barbosa three-pointer, followed by two foul shots from Nash moved the Suns to a 96-71 lead midway through the fourth, at which time Phoenix head coach Mike D’Antoni pulled the reigning league MVP from the game.
"We were tremendously active defensively," Nash said. "Obviously, when we can get in transition off turnovers we’re pretty tough."
Even Kurt Thomas, who had been sidelined since late February with a stress fracture in his right foot, saw action in the second half for Phoenix.
Nowitzki hadn’t scored less than 20 points since February 21 against the Clippers, but his poor performance from the field contributed to Dallas’ 41.8 percent clip from the floor.
Bell scored five early points during an 11-0 Phoenix run in the opening quarter for a 12-4 lead. However, Dallas bounced back and the game was tied at 28 going into the second.
A run of 11 points extended Phoenix to a 45-34 lead with five minutes left in the second before the Mavs closed the gap to three later in the period. The Suns held a 51-46 edge at the half.
Dallas got within two a pair of times in the third before Phoenix’s massive push.
Howard was hurt with 5:47 left in the game. Trying for rebounding position, he got his leg tangled with Phoenix’s James Jones.
Game Notes
The Suns are 9-2 when scoring at least 100 points this postseason...Nash began 2-of-6 from the field, but went 6-of-7 after the slow start...Phoenix had seven turnovers, compared to 14 for Dallas.
Dallas Mavericks 
Phoenix Suns 
