Mavericks 101, Suns 98: Monta Ellis matched his season high of 37 points as the Mavericks rallied from 13 points down midway through the third quarter to beat visiting Phoenix and clinch a playoff berth.

Dirk Nowitzki added 23 points and eight rebounds for the Mavericks, who moved 1 1/2 games ahead of the ninth-place Suns with two games left for Phoenix and one for Dallas, which owns the tiebreaker over the Suns. Brandan Wright added 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks off the bench and Vince Carter also contributed 10 points in a reserve role for the Mavericks.

Eric Bledsoe had 29 points, six assists and four steals to lead the Suns, but committed seven turnovers. Channing Frye finished with 21 points on 5-for-6 shooting from 3-point range and Goran Dragic contributed 13 points after missing Friday’s loss against the San Antonio Spurs with a sore ankle.

Devin Harris buried a 3-pointer to give the Mavericks a 97-89 lead with 3:30 left, but the Suns didn’t go away. A 6-0 run pulled them within two with 1:15 left and they were in good position to tie the score when Nowitzki missed on the other end.

But Bledose missed a second free throw that would have tied the contest and Gerald Green rushed a baseline jumper that would have given the Suns the lead with 26 seconds left. Ellis managed to convert one of two free throws in back-to-back trips to the free-throw line with Wright blocking Bledsoe’s drive in between to seal the win.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Phoenix fell a half game behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth and final playoff berth in the West, but the teams meet Monday in Phoenix in the second-to-last game for both teams. … Nowitzki rolled an ankle with three minutes left, but returned to the game. … The Suns scored 29 points on their final 18 possessions of the first half.