DALLAS (AP) -- One All-Star drives to the rim, seemingly headed

for a winning basket at the buzzer. Then another All-Star comes

flying at him from behind, takes a big swing with his right arm and

the ball comes out strangely, clanging into the rim.

Clean block or a foul?

Officials decided that Shawn Marion got all ball, so his

defensive play on Dirk Nowitzki gave the Phoenix Suns a 124-123

victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night in a game that

was intense and exciting from start to finish.

"I didn't touch him, so they couldn't call a foul," Marion

said.

Or could they?

"It should be a one-point win in our favor, but it's not,"

Mavs coach Don Nelson said.

Dallas led by six with 1:46 left, then Phoenix closed with a 7-0

run, capped by Joe Johnson's 16-footer with 4.7 seconds left. The

Mavericks had one last chance, and they perfectly executed an

inbounds play, getting a screen from newly acquired Keith Van Horn

to free Nowitzki on a drive to the rim.

But the speedy, high-jumping Marion recovered in time to knock

the ball away. He also got the rebound, preserving Phoenix's second

straight without NBA assists leader Steve Nash (strained left

hamstring) after being 0-3 without him earlier this season. With

San Antonio losing Saturday night, the Suns (43-13) moved a

half-game ahead of the Spurs for the best record in the NBA.

When time expired, Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni led a

celebration-filled march to the locker room. Dallas guard Jason

Terry dropped to the court and buried his head, while Nelson and

owner Mark Cuban ran to the officials. Cuban ordered the replay

shown on the overhead video board and fans booed a play that seemed

too close to definitively call either way.

"I was wide open for a layup to win the game. I tried to dunk

it, but somehow he got a hand on it," said Nowitzki, who had 26

points, 16 rebounds and five assists. "I thought I got hit on the

hand and the head, but they didn't call it."

Nowitzki lamented the game even coming down to that play, noting

that he missed a layup with 30 seconds left. Dallas also missed two

long jumpers at the start of Phoenix's game-winning rally, which

also gave the Suns a 2-1 victory over the Mavericks in the season

series.

Nelson was less diplomatic about how it ended.

"It just doesn't seem fair," he said. "(Phoenix's Amare)

Stoudemire got eight straight calls when he had the ball and we

clearly got fouled on the last play and didn't get the call for our

best player."

Stoudemire, who led the Suns with 33 points and 10 rebounds,

took 10 free throws in the fourth quarter. As a team, Dallas took

six.

The Mavs also noted that officials had been calling ticky-tack

fouls earlier in the quarter and they pointed to their lack of

reaction to the loose ball as evidence they were sure Marion

whacked Nowitzki.

The loss ended Dallas' six-game winning streak, its longest of

the season. The Mavs also lost for the first time this season when

leading at the start of the fourth quarter; they had been 28-0.

Quentin Richardson scored 26 for Phoenix and Marion added 25 and

13 rebounds. Leandro Barbosa, who replaced Nash, scored just six

after putting up a season-high 22 the previous game. Johnson scored

18.

Terry, who was scoreless in 15 minutes his previous game, led

Dallas with 27 points and seven assists. Michael Finley scored just

13, ending a five-game streak with at least 20.

Nash's absence certainly disappointed many in the sellout crowd

of 20,435, especially those wearing his old Dallas No. 13 jerseys.

But a scoring pace that at times seemed like an ABA game more than

made up for it.

Both teams shot more than 58 percent in the first half, with

Dallas coming out ahead 71-68. The Mavs had a stretch of 12 baskets

on 14 shots in the second quarter.

Then Phoenix opened the third quarter making eight straight. But

Dallas answered with a 14-2 run that took it from five down to five

up.

Van Horn, acquired Thursday from Milwaukee, tied the game at 113

with a driving layup then put the Mavericks up with a rebound and

putback after Terry stole the inbounds pass. Dallas stretched the

lead to 123-117 on a layup by Nowitzki -- then didn't score again.

Game notes
Dallas had a season-high 18 steals, two shy of the franchise

record. ... D'Antoni said Nash also will sit Sunday at home against

Boston. ... Dallas rookie D.J. Mbenga started for the first time

and had four points and one rebound in 10 minutes. He was so fired

up that during introductions he did a jumping chest bump into

Nowitzki, knocking Nowitzki back several steps.<