The Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks are two teams that grew close to each other last season.
These teams squared off in the conference semifinals, and the Mavericks, despite not having home-court advantage were the ones to advance after a grueling 7-game series. It was a brutal end to an otherwise almost-flawless season for Phoenix. Neither team made major additions in the offseason, but both had some key losses.
The Suns haven’t paid F Cameron Johnson, and the Mavericks lost G Jalen Brunson in free agency as well. Those will be vital season-long talking points for both sides. What happens with F Jae Crowder who is on the inactive list for the opener will also be something to keep an eye on moving forward.
Tip is set for 10 p.m. ET at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
Dallas vs. Phoenix Predictions and Picks
Phoenix Can Do It All
The Suns were the top dog in the Western Conference last season for a reason, and it is because of their elite mixture of offense, defense, size and leadership. Having locked up C Deandre Ayton for the long-term future, the Suns will need him to add more to his offensive arsenal. Nonetheless, the Suns were the only team in the association to rank top five in both offensive and defensive rating last season, so they can beat you on either side of the court. They were the NBA’s best regular season team last season.
G Chris Paul might be 37 years old but has been past his prime for quite a while, so there’s little reason to expect a drastic drop off in his production. On the other side of Paul is G Devin Booker, and he could very well be an MVP candidate. Booker averaged 26.8 points, 5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game this past season. He will look to improve on each of those categories as his role in the offense, especially as a playmaker, should continue to grow.
With GM James Jones and head coach Monty Williams as two of the best in the business, the Suns once again have ultra-high expectations heading into the year.
Luka Doncic‘s Evolution Will Be Tested
G Luka Doncic, especially with Brunson gone, will be asked to take on an even greater amount of the workload. The former No. 3 overall pick has had his figures remain relatively stable over the past 3 seasons, so it would be thrilling to see if he could hit a double-digit average in either points and assists or points and rebounds. There should be a real chance for him to average a triple-double, as well. The next evolution could come in his efficiency, as Luka shot just 45.7% from the field last season.
With G Spencer Dinwiddie as one of the only Maverick players that can truly create for himself, it’ll be on the former Net, along with F Tim Hardaway Jr., to figure out how to aid the 23-year-old Doncic with most other starters being more 3-and-D specialists. Sitting 14th in offensive rating last season and top ten in defensive rating, the Mavericks should look to improve upon the former, but they didn’t add much in the offseason, rather losing one of the team’s top scoring threats.
Dallas vs. Phoenix Prediction
The Suns should want revenge. Dallas was just 15-16 ATS as an away underdog last season, and as one of the best covering teams in the league in general, this was a clear weak spot for the Mavs. Phoenix was 42-39 ATS as a favorite as well, so it played well when taking points.
The Suns were taken down on their home court by Dallas to end their season, so the desire to give some payback should be there as well, and without Brunson, the Mavericks’ offensive identity should take a hit. The Mavs lost all 3 regular season matchups to Dallas by more than this spread last season.
Expect Dallas to come out flat while Phoenix looks to handle business, especially having paid big money to its center this offseason.
Best NBA Bet: Phoenix -4.5 (-110) at PointsBet | Playable to -5.0 (+100)
