Suns-Mavericks Preview: Phoenix Favored To Rise in Dallas
Suns Could Pick on Ailing Mavericks
Suns Slightly Favor Amidst Dallas’s Slump, Sores
We had to wait to publish this Suns-Mavericks preview, due to the oddsmakers also having to wait on the status of Dallas. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are on the injury report with the former still listed as “questionable”. Dallas also has a pair of guards on the list, hence why Phoenix is favored by 2.5 points as it has been red-hot while Dallas struggles.
Suns vs Mavericks 
Day/Time:
Records: Suns (25-18)/Mavericks (24-19)
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
Streaming: Watch Live Sports
Phoenix Rises Along With Durant’s “Stock”
Phoenix is hotly raising the NBA West rankings. The Suns have won six straight to deserve such a mellifluous intro. And some have come against playoff-caliber teams like New Orleans and Sacramento. This NBA team is doing it by playing soundly on both ends led by Kevin Durant.
“I think KD is one of the greatest scorers we’ve ever seen,” Draymond Green, Durant’s former teammate said on his The Draymond Green Show podcast. “The way KD scores the ball is so effortless. He’s never seen a bad shot, he’s going to get you 31 points on 14 shots. That is a normal KD night.”
Kevin Durant has been blistering with back-to-back 40+ point games. And he’s just a few made free throws away from hitting the super ‘50-40-90’ line for a second straight NBA season. He’s usually a good bet to score over 26 points even if he does not get plenty of shots.
Frank Vogel’s defensive tutelage is also rubbing off on the Suns. Phoenix’s 112.9 defensive rating in this stretch is the eighth-best in the league. And coupled with a 122.1 offensive rating, Phoenix is starting to acclimate to its new “Big Three.”
Hence, Phoenix is not only favored on the NBA odds (-140 on the moneyline) but the total is set at 240.5. This may be an overreaction to Durant’s recent tear as Phoenix’s last four games have all gone under the total.
Couple this with Dallas’s struggles on offense and that line may be too high. But given how hot Phoenix is, and the Mavericks’ chronic issues on defense, the Suns may just explode and score 130+ to carry the total.
Dallas Facing a Stretch of Adversity
Irving and Doncic got hurt at one of the worst possible times for the Mavericks. This Suns-Mavericks preview is but the first of many more difficult games for Dallas. Beginning with Phoenix, eight of Dallas’s next 10 games are against teams currently in an NBA playoff spot. This includes road games against Minnesota and Philadelphia and home games against Milwaukee and Oklahoma City.
Irving got hurt in the last game with a thumb injury though he could still play. Meanwhile, Doncic continues to battle injuries. This time, it’s his back. To exacerbate things, guards Seth Curry and Dante Exum are also on the NBA injury report. Dallas can ill-afford to lose more NFL players from its backcourt given its shortcomings.
Dallas’s offensive rating has dropped to 115.9 in its last six games. This is just 16th in the league if we go by each team’s last six NBA matches. And even more damning is Dallas’s lack of defense: a 123.2 rating is just above Golden State as the worst in the league.
The team has already dropped to eighth in the hyper-competitive Western Conference. Should the losing continue, the NBA rumors will start to swirl around Irving. The mercurial guard tends to act out when things don’t go his team’s way. Soon, internecine conflicts could brew in the team.
Stars can only take so much losing in today’s NBA. While Doncic is a European and they tend to “stick it out” more than their American counterparts, the pressure will mount on head coach Jason Kidd and the organization to do something.
In the meantime, an upset win given this Suns-Mavericks preview would do wonders for this team’s morale.
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