Canaan: "They feed off all the positive energy I'm trying to give them." Scott Bordow/azcentral sports
Triano: "We turned over too many times, but our defense kept us in it." Scott Bordow/azcentral sports
Suns won their second road game in a row Scott Bordow/azcentral sports
Scott Bordow reviews newcomer Isaiah Canaan's big debut and Alex Len's strong day rebounding. Scott Bordow/azcentral sports
Triano on confidence in newcomer Isaiah Canaan: "He was good in the playoffs last year, so he can play." Scott Bordow/azcentral sports
Suns insider Scott Bordow on Wednesday's loss to Toronto.
Suns insider Scott Bordow recaps Phoenix's loss to the Kings, where the Suns missed Devin Booker in the fourth quarter, in Sacramento on Tuesday.
Suns interim coach Jay Triano talks about what went right and wrong in Phoenix's road loss to the Kings on Tuesday.
Suns point guard Tyler Ulis talks about Devin Booker's absence and learning how to score without him after Phoenix's loss to the Kings on Tuesday.
Triano: Suns just seemed to be a step slower in the first half Scott Bordow/azcentral sports
Chriss: Spurs outworked the Suns in the first half Scott Bordow/azcentral sports
Bordow: Game was lost in first half Scott Bordow/azcentral sports
Suns star Devin Booker talks about his injury prior to Thursday night's game against the Wizards.
azcentral sports' Jay Dieffenbach and Scott Bordow discuss Devin Booker's injury and what it means for the Phoenix Suns.
Mark Faller and Greg Moore discuss the panic the Phoenix Suns are facing with the Devin Booker injury.
Suns insider Scott Bordow recaps a loss to the Raptors in which Devin Booker left injured.
Devin Booker discusses bouncing back from a poor start to pour in 46 points in the Suns' win over the Sixers in Philadelphia.
Suns rookie Josh Jackson discusses a loss to the Pistons in Detroit.
Suns guard Devin Booker discusses his team's win over the Bulls in Chicago on Tuesday.
Milwaukee Bucks point guard Eric Bledsoe discusses his former team ahead of the Suns vs. Bucks game on Wednesday.
Devin Booker discusses an incident with a Lakers coach late in Monday's loss to Los Angeles.
azcentral sports' Jay Dieffenbach and Greg Moore discuss the Phoenix Suns' loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in the first game of the season.
azcentral sports' Chris Cole talks to Suns fans outside of Talking Stick Resort Arena before Phoenix's season opener on Wednesday. Yihyun Jeong/azcentral sports
- Isaiah Canaan on Suns win over Mavs
- Suns coach Jay Triano on win over Mavs
- Bordow on Suns win over Mavs
- Bordow on Suns 'improbable' win over T-Wolves
- Suns coach Jay Triano on win over Timberwolves
- Bordow on Suns' loss to Raptors
- Scott Bordow recaps Suns' loss to Kings
- Jay Triano on Suns' loss to Kings
- Tyler Ulis on Suns' loss to Kings
- Suns coach Jay Triano on loss to Spurs
- Marquese Chriss on Suns lost to Spurs
- Scott Bordow recaps Suns loss to Spurs
- Devin Booker talks about his injury
- Shot Clock: Booker down, Suns back in tank
- Shot Clock: Panic over Devin Booker injury?
- Bordow on Booker injury, Suns loss
- Devin Booker on dropping 46 in Suns' win
- Josh Jackson on his return to Detroit
- Devin Booker after Suns' win over Bulls
- Eric Bledsoe discusses trade from Suns
- Devin Booker on incident with Lakers coach
- Shot Clock: Suns opener goes horribly wrong
- Suns fans: What do they know? Do they know things?? Let's find out
DALLAS – Isaiah Canaan got the ball with seven seconds left on the shot clock and the Suns nursing a three-point lead over the Dallas Mavericks.
Sixty-nine seconds remained in the game. Dirk Nowitzki, all 7 feet of him, loomed over Canaan.
“That was the switch we wanted,” Canaan said.
Think about that for a minute. One week ago Canaan was playing for the Agua Caliente Clippers. The only reason he’s on the Suns roster is that Phoenix applied for an injury hardship exemption after Devin Booker got hurt.
It’s hard to fathom Canaan playing important minutes in the fourth quarter, much less wanting the ball against one of the NBA’s best players of the past 20 years.
But little makes sense about the Suns these days after they won their second straight road game by beating the Mavericks 97-91 at American Airlines Center.
Phoenix’s starters were 16 of 41 from the field. The Suns trailed 75-68 after a third quarter in which they had more turnovers (eight) than field goals (seven). But interim coach Jay Triano always has an ace up his sleeve.
Check that. And check under his sleeves, too, because Triano is holding five aces: His bench.
On Saturday, Phoenix’s reserves scored a season-high 69 points in a win over Minnesota. Monday, they had 55 of the Suns’ 97 points, 26 of the 49 rebounds, 16 of the 25 assists and, most importantly, 20 of Phoenix’s 29 points in the decisive fourth quarter.
The bench played so well that starters Tyler Ulis, Josh Jackson, Marquese Chriss and Tyson Chandler didn’t play a single second in the final 12 minutes.
“They’re doing a phenomenal job,” said T.J. Warren, who led the Suns with 19 points and made four free throws in the final 11 seconds to finish off Dallas. “They’re playing the right way, they’re playing free and they’re keeping us in games.”
Winning games, more like it.
Alex Len had his second straight double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. He also had four assists, giving him 10 over the past two games. Troy Daniels scored 12 and Mike James, who didn’t play against the Timberwolves, hit a 3-pointer with 4:51 left to give the Suns a five-point lead.
But it was Canaan who was the MVP for the second straight game. He finished with 17 points, six assists and four rebounds, with 11 of his 17 points coming in the fourth quarter. It’s hard to believe a point guard brought in less than a week ago can control a game – and a team – but that’s what Canaan has done.
“He’s made a huge difference,” Daniels said. “He’s a general on the court. We’re just following his lead.”
That includes on the defensive end, where the 6-foot, 200-pound Canaan fights through every screen as if it’s a personal affront. His tenaciousness and ability to stay with opposing point guards had a two-pronged effect in the fourth quarter, when Dallas was 6 of 23 from the field. Canaan’s teammates didn’t have to come off their man to help on the pick-and-roll and they were infected by his aggressiveness.
“He’s like a bulldog on the court,” Daniels said. “When guys see him do that we’re like, ‘We have to do that.’ ”
So back to that Canaan-Nowitzki moment.
The shot clock ticked down to six seconds. Five. Canaan, however, was anything but hurried or worried.
“We wanted to get him (Nowitzki) out on the ball screen and switch it,” Canaan said. “He can’t really move like he used to and I knew I had the advantage on him.”
Four seconds.
“Once I got my shoulders down I knew I could finish at the rim because he is not a shot blocker. I knew it was there. Once I got around him, all I had to do was just finish the layup.”
Except it wasn’t just a layup. It was a twisting, reverse bank shot that extended Phoenix’s lead to 93-88 lead and got some fans at American Airlines Center headed for the exits.
“It’s amazing,” Len said. “He changes the whole dynamic of this team.”
MORE: What Booker meant when he asked 'What can Jordan do that I can't?'
WANTED: Booker, Len among Suns who say they want Triano to remain at helm
AUDITION: Isaiah Canaan hopes he can find home with Phoenix Suns
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