Still, Stoudemire managed to make a lucky shot, throwing up a ball that went in after Nowitzki was called for a foul, though the replay showed it was actually Jason Terry that hacked the 22-year-old center.

While Stoudemire missed the free throw, the Suns got the ball back and Quentin Richardson drove for a slam dunk that made it 95-86. But Phoenix wouldn’t get any closer in the final 10 minutes.

Nowitzki entered the game shooting just 38 percent in the playoffs — his season average was 46 percent — and was 16-of-42 the last two games.

Erick Dampier, the foul-plagued Mavericks center criticized by Nowitzki earlier in the series, had 13 points and 11 rebounds.

“When they’re saying you’re the weak link, it’s a great time to prove everybody wrong,” Mavericks coach Avery Johnson said.

Johnson had pledged that Dampier would keep playing, even if he got in early foul trouble. That wasn’t even a concern until after halftime, when the Mavericks had a 66-50 lead.

Dampier made all five of his shots for 10 points and eight rebounds in the first half, and didn’t have his second foul until 2:15 remained. By the time Dampier missed his first shot and then had two fouls in an 11-second span early in the second half, he had already helped set a positive tone inside for Dallas.

Stackhouse had 22 points off the bench for the Mavericks.

Phoenix got no help from its reserves, with all but three points coming from the starters. Leandro Barbosa played 22 minutes, while Walter McCarty and Steve Hunter only combined for seven minutes of action.

Joe Johnson, the Suns’ third-leading scorer, is recovering from surgery on an eye injury sustained in Game 2. That has pushed Jim Jackson into the starting lineup, and he had 11 points while playing 44 minutes.

Richardson was the only Suns starter to play less than 43 minutes, and he had 13 points in 34 minutes. Shawn Marion had 19 points and 12 rebounds.

Notes: Nash’s playoff high, set with Dallas, was 31 points. The most points he had scored in his first season with Phoenix was 33 points. ... Bonzi Wells had 46 points against Dallas for Portland in the playoffs two years ago. ... In the first half, the Mavericks got 14 of their 26 field goals on layups and dunks — five by Dampier, six by Howard. ... Dallas’ halftime lead was its largest of the postseason. ... Johnson won’t play in Game 5, and his status for the rest of the playoffs is still uncertain.

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