DALLAS – With the way Shawn Marion and Quentin Richardson were hitting 3-pointers and the manner in which Steve Nash was leading the team, the Phoenix Suns didn’t even need Joe Johnson.

With their injured teammate watching from home, the Suns easily replaced his outside game while Amare Stoudemire took care of everything inside, leading Phoenix to a 119-102 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night to give the Suns a 2-1 lead in their second-round series.

Stoudemire dominated the paint again for 37 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks. Nash set him up with 17 assists, his career playoff best, and scored 27.

Marion, who was 7-of-17 on 3s the previous six games this postseason, went 5-of-7 behind the arc and scored 21 points. Richardson scored all 12 of his points on 3s. As a team, Phoenix was 11-of-22 on 3-pointers to Dallas’ 1-for-18.

Although everything was clicking for the Suns, they still had to scrap. They led just 97-96 with 5:50 to go, then pulled away with a 15-0 run aided by seven straight misses by Dallas. Marion started breaking things open with a 3, then Richardson followed with another. Before the spurt was even over, fans were booing and heading for the exits.

Dirk Nowitzki had 21 points and 13 rebounds, but shot 8-for-24, with several misses during that game-deciding drought. Jerry Stackhouse scored 20 off the bench, but Michael Finley had just 11 after scoring 31 in Game 2.

The Mavs will host Game 4 on Sunday night.

This was the first time Johnson missed a game for Phoenix since he was acquired three years ago. The Suns were worried how they’d handle his absence, especially since he was their third-leading scorer.

Johnson was lost perhaps for the rest of the playoffs in an ugly fall on a hard drive to the basket in Game 2. He had a big gash, a concussion and a broken bone that required surgery Thursday. He went home that night, but was with the team in spirit – his locker was set up, with clothes even hanging over the back of his chair.

AP-ES-05-14-05 0026EDT