Phoenix Suns head coach Jordan Ott praised his team’s composure after Dallas cut the lead to six late in Tuesday’s 120-111 win at the Mortgage Matchup Center.
“Every night, every night you take anything you can get, especially when you come out of it with the win… found a way down the stretch. Book got to his spots, got to the free throw line, and then got enough stops to win,” Ott said.
Dillon Brooks set the tone offensively with 15 points in the first quarter. Ott noted, “He had a great start… at the end of the shot clock where we need someone to make a play, he was able to do that there in the first quarter.”
The Suns’ free throw advantage was substantial, with Phoenix outscoring Dallas 44-9 from the line. Ott acknowledged the challenge, saying, “I had to make sure. Everyone in the arena felt it… they get downhill, they get to the free throw line, we got to play against a set defense. It makes it harder to score, then they’re able to get in transition, get to the free throw line.”
Brooks also received his 15th technical foul of the season, but Ott kept focus on the flow of the game. “Duane, you know the flow of the game, they make the call, they get the technical, you try to move on… It’s a balance of showing the emotion, take it up from each other, but also moving on the process to win the game,” he explained.
Ott highlighted the performance of key rotation players, including Ryan Dunn. “I thought he was great. He continues to find ways to impact winning… when he starts playing with force and confidence, he’s in a good spot,” Ott said.
Devin Booker contributed 19 points and remained aggressive despite Dallas’ defense. “He went aggressive. He knew it was coming. Good reps for the group that was on the floor. Good reps for our team. We’ll try to get better,” Ott said regarding Booker’s decision-making and shot selection.
The Suns also experimented with small-ball lineups to challenge Dallas’ size. Ott explained, “We tried to dive him out just to give him some space… we want to get him there in the middle of the floor with the matchup that we like and then just get to our spacing.”
Collin Gillespie provided spacing and defensive stability, finishing +25 in plus-minus. Ott said, “He has a ton of gravity around him, spacing around him to create as much space as we can for Book… it’s speed and skill that really helps us.”
On team confidence, Ott emphasized consistency: “Everyone needs to be a threat on the floor… Offensively, it’s the same. This is a hard game… we want these guys to feel like we have their back no matter what. They have the ultimate confidence to shoot high-quality shots.”
The Suns improve to 32-22 while the Mavericks fall to 19-34, marking their eighth consecutive loss. Phoenix hosts Oklahoma City on Wednesday, and Dallas travels to Los Angeles to face the Lakers on Thursday.
