*Nowitzki carries Mavericks past Suns in Game Two* DALLAS (Ticker) -- This time, Dirk Nowitzki turned good buddy Steve Nash into a spectator.
Nowitzki scored 12 of his 30 points in the final 10 minutes as the Mavericks rallied for a 105-98 victory over the Phoenix Suns that evened the Western Conference finals at one game apiece.
Josh Howard ignored an ankle injury to score a playoff career-high 29 points and 7-footer DeSagana Diop was a factor for the fourth-seeded Mavericks, who were the team with the late surge this time as they salvaged their season.
In Game One, Nowitzki had 25 points and 19 rebounds but was uncharacteristically quiet in the fourth quarter, when Dallas squandered a nine-point lead in the final 3 1/2 minutes. Leading Phoenix's comeback was Nash, the two-time MVP who scored 10 points in a two-minute span as he looked for his offense.
The long-time friends reversed roles in the final period Friday. Nowitzki, who also pulled down 14 rebounds, was very aggressive as he fueled a 30-point fourth quarter, while Nash did not take a shot in the second half until making an uncontested layup in the waning seconds.
A 3-pointer by Shawn Marion gave second-seeded Phoenix an 82-78 lead with 10:45 remaining before Nowitzki responded with a pair of short jumpers to trigger a 12-2 surge. Jason Terry scored Dallas' next six points before working a pick-and-roll with Nowitzki, whose foul-line jumper made it 90-84 with 6:17 to go.
The Suns closed to 91-89 with 4:11 left on a pull-up jumper by Game One hero Boris Diaw, who had 25 points and 10 rebounds. Jerry Stackhouse had a three-point play and found Howard for an easy basket before Nowitzki answered Diaw's hook with a reverse layup for a 98-91 lead with 1:36 remaining.
A 3-pointer by Tim Thomas made it 100-96 with 40 seconds left, but he missed another eight seconds later, and Nowitzki and Stackhouse each made two free throws to seal it. Howard, who was questionable with a bone bruise in his right ankle, made 10-of-19 shots and added seven rebounds. He scored 13 points in the third quarter, keeping the Mavericks in the game.
Diop was lauded for his defense on superstar Tim Duncan in the conference semifinals but did not play in Game One. He had 11 points and two blocks while protecting the paint and preventing the penetration the Suns had in the opener.
Terry recovered from a slow start to score 18 points and Stackhouse added all 11 of his in the final 13 minutes for the Mavericks, who owned advantages of 48-39 on the backboards and 36-11 in free throws.
Thomas scored 20 points, Marion added 19 and 19 rebounds and Nash 16 and 11 assists for the Suns, who host Games Three and Four on Sunday and Tuesday.