The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Phoenix Suns 99-95 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on Thursday, to avoid a third straight loss.

The Mavericks lost their ace Luka Doncic to a left ankle sprain less than four minutes into the first quarter of the game. Though the X-ray was negative, he didn't return on Thursday night.

Spencer Dinwiddie took over the offensive load of Doncic and dropped 36 points, six rebounds and nine assists after shooting an incredible efficiency of 5-for-6 from downtown. He also showed great aggressiveness by constantly charging the rim to earn 14 free throws and make 11 of them.

Though Dinwiddie doesn't have the complete offensive skills of Doncic, he is a much faster slasher and able to pierce the Suns' perimeter defense with the first step by using screen. Moreover, he went 4-for-8 in mid-range jumpers in Thursday's game, much better than he usually did this season.

As a result, the Suns had to increase their blitzing on Dinwiddie from the second half. However, even though they could force him to give up the ball in the initial offense, the Mavericks had good enough ball-movement and cut-ins to either find open chances or pass back to Dinwiddie to launch the second attack.

Thanks to Dinwiddie’s distraction of the Suns' defense, Dorian Finney-Smith and Dwight Powell combined to shoot 10-for-15 in the paint to contribute 33 points. Finney Smith also grabbed three offensive rebounds. In a low-scoring game in which neither team reached 100 points, allowing the opponents to score in such an easy way could be fatal.

The Suns had Deandre Ayton back on Thursday night after he missed three games because of an un-COVID-19 illness. With his size, power, athleticism and solid offensive skills, Ayton was supposed to be the team's biggest advantage on offense.

Nonetheless, Ayton let the Suns down. His double-double of 19 points and 20 rebounds came from a poor shooting performance of 6-for-20 from the field. He could neither force his way through the crowd to the hoop, nor score over the head of Powell, who is one size smaller than Ayton. Ayton's finishing performance was so poor in Thursday's game that the seven offensive rebounds he grabbed only translated into two points by himself.

The Suns had to rely on 37-year-old Chris Paul to not only playmaking, but also scoring. Paul had a double-double of 22 points and 10 assists after draining four triples and shooting 3-for-3 under the rim. Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges combined to go 7-for-12 behind the arc. Their efforts were why the Suns were still hopeful to come back at then end of the game after trailing during most of the time.

Paul's layup helped the Suns cut their deficit to only one point (96-95) when there were 19.7 second left in the fourth quarter. In the following possession, they fouled Reggie Bullock, who averaged a free throw rate of 65.4 percent this season, sending him to the free throw line. He made the first one, but missed the second.

Before Bullock shot the second free throw, Ayton was sent to the court to protect the rebound. However, he let Powell walk past him to grab the offensive rebound and then fouled on Powell. This time, Powell made both shots to extend the Mavericks’ lead to four points and eliminate the last drop of hope for the Suns.

Other games on Thursday (away teams come first):

New York Knicks 120-117 Boston Celtics

Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson combined to drop 68 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists for the Knicks at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, on Thursday. They helped the team wipe an early 15-point deficit (22-7) and build a 13-point lead (102-89) in the fourth quarter. During the overtime (OT), Randle and RJ Barrett both scored five points for the Knicks to win while Brunson blocked the final shot of Malcolm Brogdon.

Jayson Tatum had two chances to make the game-winning shot for the Celtics, but he missed both attempts, one in the regular time and the other during the OT. Before his second shot, Jaylen Brown missed two key free throws and the opportunity to put the Celtics back to lead with only seconds to go in the OT.

Detroit Pistons 130-122 Brooklyn Nets

The Pistons are among the league's bottom on a series of fronts, which is reflected on their 13-37 record, the second-worst in 30 teams. Nonetheless, they still managed to score 130 points at a field goal (FG) rate of 50.5 percent (48-for-95) to beat the Nets at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Thursday. Eight of the visiting team's nine-player rotation scored double-digit points.

On the Nets' side, Kyrie Irving dropped 40 points, including getting 22 in the second half. However, only Nic Claxton and Edmond Sumner offered him effective support in Thursday's home game. Ben Simmons missed all of his three shots to get only one rebound and seven assists before exiting the competition with knee soreness in the third quarter.

Chicago Bulls 96-111 Charlotte Hornets

Both teams were disappointing in 3-point shooting at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday. The Bulls went 7-for-32 from downtown while the Hornets only made four of their 25 attempts from outside. The home team trailed by two points (79-77) after the first three quarters. Then LaMelo Ball, who returned after missing three games, walked to the free throw line eight times and made seven shots there in the fourth quarter alone, leading the Hornets to rally 34-17 for a comeback win.

The Bulls missed all 12 of their jump shots, including six 3-pointers, in the final quarter. All of the five shots they made were under the rim with no assists at all. Having suffered their 26th loss of the season, the team again fell out of the Eastern Conference play-in tournament zone.

Cleveland Cavaliers 113-95 Houston Rockets

San Antonio Spurs 100-138 Los Angeles Clippers