Phoenix Suns-Dallas Mavericks: Match Preview, Stats, & Much More | 3 May

NBA’s second round has arrived and soon we will see the number of teams dwindle even further, and the first round reduced the number from 16 to 8. In the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat and the Philadelphia 76ers made it out of the first round pretty comfortably and they will meet each other here. First, the 76ers are playing without Embiid but to their relief, the Heat has a long list of injuries with Kyle Lowry definitely being ruled out. Who will take advantage in Game 1?

Handicap: Bookmakers from 22bet are unsurprisingly giving the Suns favorable odds here with 1.4 and that is understandable. They are playing on the home floor and with the form of Chris Paul, they’ll fancy themselves beating the Mavs for sure. Although they will face a Luka Doncic-led squad here, there is no doubt that the Suns have emerged as one of the title favorites. I’d take them with a handicap of -5.5 (Handicap 1 -5.5 for 1.86)

Player Props: Bookmakers at bet365 predict odds of 1.71 for Chris Paul Going Over 9.5 Assists here(At least 10 assists). CP is hands down the best passer in the league right now and in the last series, he dished 8, 11, 11, 14, 14, 10 while committing just nine turnovers in those six games, wow! I believe he will go “Over” here. (Player Props: Player Assists: Chris Paul Over 9.5 for 1.71)

Total: Bookmakers at 22bet believe that the total of 215 (Over/Under) has the odds of 1.90. The Mavericks are an amazing defensive team and so are the Suns but the Suns’ based games tend to be higher-scoring as they manipulate the pace well. However, I think this can be a grind-out type of behaviour and the opener can be on the lower scoring side (Total Under 215 for 1.90)

This match is available on the NBA League Pass.

The list of problems the Suns pose to the opponents is long. While Booker was the leading scorer during the Regular Season, Chris Paul heated up as a scorer against the Pelicans, draining all his 14 Field Goal Attempts in Game 6 versus the Pels. Then we have Ayton who doesn’t take bad shots and can get 20 or so regularly on a high percentage. Mikal Bridges can step up his game too, these four scorers can score from multiple areas and with the passing of Paul, there are a variety of avenues open, he doesn’t turn it over much but I tend to believe that the Mavericks will force more turnovers than the Pelicans. Then it is the defensvie end which can be equally challenging. Mikal Bridges is a problem on that end and he won’t let Doncic dictate terms during most games so yes, with Ayton in the middle, a fighting defensive backcourt of Booker and Paul and Crowder as another stiff defender, the Mavs have their work cut out here.

The Mavs will be glad that Jalen Brunson hit a certain type of rhythm during the last series and if the Suns’ defense hogs Doncic too much, he can act as the rescuer. There are multiple headaches to deal with for the Mavericks but Brunson’s crafty ways will help them out. Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock are superb defenders but Dorian also gathered offensive steam in the last series, being able to contribute around 10-15 points consistently. While the Suns can eke out an advantage against the bigs Powell and Kleber, both of these cover the positions well on both ends. Spencer Dinwiddie can be an X-Factor but he has been way too inconsistent in terms of his long-range shooting and can force things a bit, a mistake that the Suns will not forgive. What plan will the Mavs lay? Will Doncic be forced to commit multiple mistakes by Bridges? Will Brunson continue his superb form? Will the Mavericks’ elite defense be effective against a highly disciplined and efficient Suns unit? 

• 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