Phoenix Suns vs Dallas Mavericks: Mavericks in a bit of a bind

The first game between Phoenix and Dallas in the 2nd round of the playoffs turned out high-scoring, and they did not play as spectacularly in the regular season. Should we expect to see the same in Game 2? 

The Suns have had trouble with their roster in Round 1 for the 2nd consecutive playoffs. Still, fortunately, Devin Booker's injury was not serious and the team did well against New Orleans without him. Chris Paul has scored 30+ points in 4 of 7 postseason games, consistently hitting his signature mid-range shots. Mikal Bridges helped on offense in several games and Deandre Ayton gradually reached his potential.

Ayton was the most productive player for Phoenix in their last game against Dallas, scoring 25 points. As a result, Monty Williams' team won the game 121-114. The Suns were hitting almost everything on the floor that night, although they hurt themselves in the final quarter, sinking only 7 of 25 shots on goal. Booker looked solid in the first half and hit a few difficult shots but his field-goal percentage was disappointing overall with only 7-of-20 field-goal attempts.

The Mavericks reached the 2nd round of the playoffs for the first time in 10 years, but making it to at least the Western Conference Finals with their current roster will be difficult. Luka Doncic is a key player for Dallas, and now he has to play more than 40 minutes per game to keep the team from slipping. Spencer Dinwiddie has failed in the postseason so far, so he, along with Davis Bertans, was not the most worthy compensation for Kristaps Porzingis. The encouraging thing is that Jalen Brunson has made some serious progress, and until recently, he was the NBA's all-time leader in total points in the current playoffs. Another important player is Maxi Kleber, who has made more than 4 three-pointers in 3 of 7 matches. The only thing missing is a big center under the basket: Dwight Powell and Kleber are undersized, while Boban Marjanovic is not ready to be useful for Dallas in the playoffs.

Doncic scored 45 points in Game 1 of the series with Phoenix, but his effort wasn't enough. Kleber also came through with 5 three-pointers, while Brunson wasn't nearly as good as usual, hitting only 6 of his 16 shots from the field. His lack of size also impacted Dallas allowed 13 offensive rebounds.

The Mavericks have lost ten straight games to the Suns, including three in the regular season. Last year at home, Phoenix won 112-104, but Doncic and Kleber were out, while Tim Hardaway Jr. was injured. The Suns had to do without only Dario Saric and the later departed Frank Kaminsky.

• Phoenix won 7 of 10 home matches;
• Dallas won 5 of the last 10 away matches.

Dallas defended well in the regular season, and in the 4th quarter of the last game, they proved quite good, containing the Phoenix offense. However, the problems under the basket are unlikely to be solved, and once again Ayton and McGee are also famous for their defense, although the Suns have had some trouble in the playoffs: they have allowed at least 110 points in 4 of 8 games so far. The home team has good point guards who can really piss off Doncic, and Phoenix as a whole can shut down their opponent at the arc. Unless Kleber or Bullock make three-pointers, Brunson and Doncic will not be able to pull out, while their opponent has a plethora of solid offensive options and Booker is still out from injury. I suggest betting on the following outcomes:

• Total Under (216.5) for 1.83;
• H1 (-4.5) for 1.755;
• W1 by 26+ points for 9.50.

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