Suns’ Jalen Green wanted to showcase his 42-inch vertical in front of his home crowd, but Mavericks center Daniel Gafford had other plans.

Gafford blocked Green’s dunk attempt and jump-started a fast break as the Suns guard stumbled backward. Mavericks guard Max Christie threw an outlet pass to Cooper Flagg, who slammed it over Suns wing Dillon Brooks.

Flagg and Naji Marshall combined for 58 points, but the Mavericks could not overcome a 36-16 deficit at the end of the first quarter.

Devin Booker scored 19 points to lead the Suns to an 120-111 win Tuesday night.

The Mavericks’ season-high losing streak reached eight games. Khris Middleton made his Dallas debut after being part of the trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards. He finished with 13 points and five rebounds.

Middleton and Flagg combined to shoot 19 of 23 from the free-throw line. The Mavericks made 32 of 44 free throws, while the Suns went 6 of 9. The sizable free-throw disparity was not enough to lift Dallas to a victory.