Phoenix Suns-Dallas Mavericks: Match Preview, Stats, & Much More | 11 May

The NBA Playoffs have reached climactic stages and we have seen various teams light the stage on fire already. Interestingly, three series are tied. In the East, both series are tied at the time of writing between Bucks-Celtics and Heat-76ers. In the West, the Warriors have taken a three-one lead versus the Grizzlies. On the other hand, the Phoenix Suns and the Dallas Mavericks are tied and we will see them clashing here. In the last game, the Mavericks defeated the Suns 111:101 as Luka Doncic crashed in 26 points while Dorian Finney-Smith contributed 24 points. Can the Suns get their mojo back at home?

Handicap: Bookmakers from 22bet believe the Suns have the odds of 1.35 to win this game despite losing two games in a row. The boost in the odds is due to the team having a home-court advantage. At home, the Suns have posted 120+ points twice but then struggled while playing away from home. The handicap of -6.5 brings the odds of 1.9 in favor of the Suns and considering that the team won by seven points in Game and by 20 in Game 2, it is not a surprise. Will we see an intense battle this time around as the Mavs are finding their groove? I think it will be a close game but the Suns will still come on top (Any Other Score- Win With Difference Less Than 6 for 2.90)

Player Props: Bookmakers at bet365 predict odds of 1.83 for Mikal Bridges Going Over 13.5 Points here(At least 14 points). Interestingly, Mikal Bridges is yet to go past 13 points in this series and has rather been conservative with his shot selection. However, I believe this will be the game where he hops past that mark. That is why I’ll go “Over” here. (Player Props: Player Points: Mikal Bridges Over 13.5 Points for 1.83)

Total: Bookmakers at 1xbet believe that the total of Over 213.5 has the odds of 2.03. The last four games’ total has been 212, 197, 238, and 235 points. This has been rather one of the highest-scoring series. The Suns scored 120+ points in the first two games and it won’t be surprising if they hit that mark again at home. And I do believe this will be a high-scoring game. (Total Over 213.5 for 2.03)

This game is available on the NBA League Pass.

The Suns have been rather off-the-mark in the last two games, and one of the major reasons for that has been the poor play of Chris Paul, who has neither been efficient nor as precise as he was against the Mavericks. In the last series, the Guard dished 10 or more assists on a routine basis, but in this series, the pesky Mavs defense has made life hard for him, and he is yet to the 10 assists mark. Booker had a strong 35 points in the last game but Mikal Bridges hasn’t produced that many points. Cameron Johnson, Deandre Ayton, and Jae Crowder have done their bits but the Suns have been forced to commit 15+ turnovers twice in a row which has taken the steam out of them. Can the Suns see their Point Guard handle the duties like before or have they left the door ajar for the Mavericks?

The Mavs have been amazing defensively in the last two games, not allowing the Suns to go past 101 and one of the major reasons for that has been their defensive work. Doncic has been off his game in the last two games, and in the last game, he just made 1 of his 10 threes. But thanks to Dorian Finney-Smith, who has been on fire offensively, having outscored in three of the four games, clicking on eight triples. Jalen Brunson made seven of his 17 shots and scored 18 points. Maxi Kleber has been on-point during the Playoffs and he had another strong game, nabbing 7 rebounds and making four of his seven shots. Bertans had a special night too, clicking on 4 threes. Spencer Dinwiddie continued to be off the mark and made just 3 of his 10 shots, once again being inefficient.

• Suns most likely starting five: PG: Chris Paul | SG: Devin Booker | SF: Mikal Bridges | PF: Jae Crowder | C: Deandre Ayton;
• Key Bench Player: Cameron Johnson, Cameron Payne, JaVale McGee;
• Mavericks most likely starting five: PG: Jalen Brunson | PG: Luka Doncic | SF: Reggie Bullock| PF: Dorian Finney-Smith | C: Dwight Powell;
• Key Bench Players: Spencer Dinwiddie, Maxi Kleber.