Dallas vs Phoenix Prediction: Doncic to Try to Work a Miracle

Dallas has won 4 straight home playoff games. Now they need to extend that winning streak to continue in the postseason. Can the Mavericks deal with Phoenix?

The Mavericks went straight to the playoffs due to Luka Doncic and good defense. In the postseason, Dallas has only a ninth defensive rating, and the team really lacks stability. Jason Kidd's team is not at the top by many statistical indicators, but they has excelled at being thrifty. The Mavericks are averaging just 10.5 losses, less than only Toronto. In the series with Phoenix, a lot depends on Jalen Brunson, as he's the undisputed No. 2 in the Dallas offense. Once Brunson got the game going, the Mavericks won twice and evened the series.

Jason Kidd's squad failed again on the road to Phoenix 80-110. Only three Dallas players scored 10+ points - Doncic, Brunson, and Davis Bertans. The Mavericks didn't do much from beyond the arc and Dorian Finney-Smith and Maxi Kleber didn't have much presence. In addition, their play was poorly executed with only 9 assists over 48 minutes.

The Suns are one of the top contenders for the title this season, but they also have a number of concerns. Cameron Payne, for example, has given up, even though he played a major role last season. Landry Shamet is failing in the playoffs, and he hasn't scored at least 10 points in any of his games, so the No. 1-2 position is sagging. Also, the coach can't seem to decide on a reserved center. So Bismack Biyombo appears more and more often on the floor, even though DeAndre Ayton used to be replaced by JaVale McGee. Whether or not Biyombo will play again is a big question. Anyway, it's encouraging to see how efficient Booker's offensive play is, and Devin's 28 points was one of the reasons behind Phoenix's past win. At the same time, the Suns played tough on defense and did not allow their opponents to reach the basket.

Dallas is particularly good at home, and the team should be improving offensively, but that may not be enough. The Mavericks don't have many pass rushing players, so Doncic will likely need to play longer. We can only hope for an inspired performance from the Slovenian superstar. At the very least, Luca should be scoring more often on difficult long-range shots.

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