Suns-Mavericks Preview2:30 p.m. Sunday, American Airlines Center, Ch. 8; ESPN-FM (103.3), KFLC-AM (1270, Spanish)12:01 AM CST on Sunday, March 5, 2006By EDDIE SEFKO / Staff WriterSeries: Mavs lead 2-0 this season; Suns lead 64-45 all time.Key matchupSteve Nash vs. Jason Terry: Don't be surprised if Marquis Daniels ends up seeing a lot of Nash. The Mavs held Nash to 20 points and five assists in their win in December at AAC, with Daniels getting some of the duty against the reigning MVP. Terry has scored well of late but has had just one assist in the last two games.Inside the SunsBig Shawn: Since the All-Star Game, Shawn Marion has been a monster, averaging 32.6 points and 16.8 rebounds and shooting nearly 60 percent from the field. During the stretch, he fell one point shy in one game of becoming the first player in franchise history to get at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in four consecutive games.Briefly: They have trouble in close games, going 0-6 when the outcome is decided by three points or less. ... Newcomer Tim Thomas had 20 points Friday against Orlando in his first game as a Sun.Inside the MavericksCleaning the glass: They had a season-best 57 rebounds against Charlotte on Friday, and controlling the boards has been a big part of their two wins against the Suns so far. They have out-rebounded Phoenix by an average of seven, including 54-44 when the Suns shot 39.8 percent Dec. 14.Briefly: Over the last eight games, their opponents have 124 assists and 122 turnovers. ... How important is Josh Howard? Their loss at San Antonio on Thursday was only the third of the season when he has 15 or more points (24-3).PROBABLE STARTERSSuns Pos. MavericksShawn Marion F Dirk NowitzkiJames Jones F Josh HowardBoris Diaw C DeSagana DiopRaja Bell G Adrian GriffinSteve Nash G Jason Terryhttp://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...ew.24d8b80.html
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Rok @ Mar 5 2006, 11:33 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Is Josh playing in this one?</div>I read in the papaer that he will play. Same with Devin Harris and James Jones. Van Horn is out, but you probably knew that.
