Alec Peters missed his last four shots after the Phoenix rookie had more than quadrupled his career high Adidas Shea Weber Jersey , at one point turning toward Dallas coach Rick Carlisle and saying, ”I’m tired.”
It will be a night to remember anyway in a forgettable season for both teams.
Peters scored 36 points, 28 more than his previous best, and the Suns beat the Mavericks 124-97 on Tuesday night in a reserve-filled finale for teams headed to the lottery.
”I looked over at coach Carlisle and he was looking at me wide-eyed and I’m like, I’m exhausted right now,” said Peters, who bounced back and forth from the G League most of the season. ”I know I missed a layup at the end. I’m not going to fret over it too much. Cool night for sure.”
The Mavericks (24-58) entered the game tied for the third-worst record in the NBA and stayed that way while sitting eight players. That included star Dirk Nowitzki, whose 20th season ended last week when he had ankle surgery.
Atlanta finished with the same record after losing at home to Philadelphia 121-113. Orlando can join the Mavericks and Hawks with a loss at home to Washington on Wednesday.
Phoenix (21-61), which had already clinched the worst record and best lottery odds for the No. 1 pick in the draft in June, also didn’t dress eight players. The Suns won for the second time in 19 games to wrap up their third straight season with at least 58 losses.
Johnathan Motley led Dallas with 21 points.
Peters, who had 46 points total in 19 previous games, was 8 of 13 from 3-point range. The Suns shot 76 percent in the second half while outscoring the Mavericks 80-43. It matched the most points the Mavericks have given up in a half.
”We had trouble stopping Larry Bird, dressed up as Alec Peters Authentic Tremaine Edmunds Jersey ,” Carlisle said.
TIP-INS
Suns: The four players not already listed as out who sat were Devin Booker (right hand sprain), Troy Daniels (left ankle sprain), T.J. Warren (left knee inflammation) and Marquese Chriss (lower back/leg pain). … Rookie Shaquille Harrison had his first NBA double-double with career highs of 18 points and 10 assists.
Mavericks: The two players not already listed as out who didn’t play were Doug McDermott (left elbow contusion) and rookie guard Dennis Smith Jr. (left knee soreness). Leading scorer Harrison Barnes was listed as rest.
DIRK FOR 21
Nowitzki revealed that he spent all season dealing with bone spurs in his left ankle that finally resulted in surgery last week. The German star has maintained that he planned to return next season, which would make him the first to play 21 seasons with the same franchise.
The timing of the surgery was designed to give Nowitzki plenty of time to recover for his offseason regimen. He said he would spend about three weeks in the walking boot he wore in his meeting with reporters before the game.
”I didn’t miss a lot of games this year,” said Nowitzki, who played 77 games, a record for a player in his 20th season. ”I felt fine most of the time. I always said all year that I want to fulfill that two-year contract if possible. I saw nothing this year that was going to stop it.”
UP NEXT
Suns: C Tyson Chandler could be attractive in an offseason trade with one year left on a contract that averages $13 million per season. He was a key piece of the Dallas championship in 2011, and returned in a trade with the New York Knicks three years later with one year left on a four-year contract. Chandler signed with the Suns when the Mavericks tried hard to lure DeAndre Jordan away from the Clippers. After initially agreeing to sign with Dallas, Jordan changed his mind and stayed in LA.
Mavericks: They seem committed to keeping Barnes, who has two years left on a $94 million, four-year max deal he signed two years ago. The most likely piece in a trade would be G Wesley Matthews, who is going into the final year of a $70 million, four-year deal that got richer when Jordan backed out on the Mavs. While Matthews returned from a ruptured Achilles tendon much quicker than usual in his first season and was durable thereafter Logan Cooke Color Rush Jersey , he hasn’t been the difference-making scorer Dallas needs.
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Continuity paid off for the Los Angeles Rams' offense last season, starting with the same offensive line combination that played together in all but one game.
It certainly did for running back Todd Gurley, who signed a four-year, $60 million contract extension in July after running for 1,305 yards and scoring 19 total touchdowns last season behind that familiar front five.
"Whoever said money don't make you happy lied," Gurley said with a smile Wednesday.
The Rams expect even greater stability on offense to translate into continued success in head coach Sean McVay's second season, a belief that has been reinforced during the start of training camp.
At this same stage last year, the Rams were working in new additions at left tackle, center and wide receiver while learning the basics of a new offense, and were still weeks away from trading for wide receiver Sammy Watkins. They return 10 of 11 starters for this year's workouts at UC Irvine, with new acquisition Brandin Cooks replacing Watkins as the big play threat in the passing game.
Quarterback Jared Goff said the familiarity is paying dividends, especially during the transition from teaching the offense in the first few days to refining each element of a system that produced an NFL-leading 29.9 points per game.
"We feel like we're in a good spot," Goff said. "Offensively Youth Kentavius Street Jersey , we've been starting to click. I think today was the first day you really felt that consistency starting to gel. We're not so much installing anymore, we're running the same plays over and over again and starting to get a good feel with it."
"It makes everyone so much more comfortable just to come out here and just play our game. You don't have to think about too much, and that's what it is all about," Gurley said.
For Goff, his increased comfort level entering his second season as the starter manifests in a better understanding of what opposing defenses are trying to do.
"It just continues to slow down," Goff said. "Your pre-snap process is a lot smoother, and you're more under control of everything and are seeing things better."
While Goff is playing faster, there has been no deceleration by Gurley after signing a contract featuring the most guaranteed money for a running back in NFL history. Goff and McVay both praised his relentlessness in practice, with a prime example coming when Gurley kept running towards the end zone as McVay was setting up the next play in the sequence.
"I got what I want, now let's keep going," Gurley said. "Nothing doesn't stop. The grind continues. It's going to be even harder now, obviously, to be able to do what I did last year Marcedes Lewis Packers Jersey , and teams are going to game plan for it. It's my job to go out there, put myself in a great position and try to work as hard as I can. As long as I do that, I feel comfortable with the players around me and the coaches around me to put me in a great position."
With so much familiarity returning, Gurley is ready to build on his best season to date. But he understands his individual production is the result of what the offense does together, declaring that every running back is the beneficiary of the blocking he gets before Gurley backtracked.
"Obviously, Barry Sanders is going to do what he do, but it doesn't matter what other running back you have back there. If you don't have all 11 doing one thing, then it's not going to work," he said.
NOTES: Outside linebacker Matt Longacre left practice early because of an undisclosed injury. . Kicker Greg Zuerlein made a 63-yard field goal during a simulated two-minute drill.
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