The Phoenix Suns (25-18, 6th in Western Conference) begin a seven-game road tonight against the Dallas Mavericks (24-19, 8th in Western Conference) in an NBA Rivals Week matchup.The Mavericks defeated the Suns 128-114 on the road on Christmas in the teams’ first meeting this season. Since, Phoenix has bolstered an 11-3 record vs. a 6-7 record for the Mavericks. Phoenix has won six straight, while Dallas has lost three of its last four contests. The Suns are coming off a 23-point comeback victory over the Chicago Bulls Monday that featured an incredible Kevin Durant game-winner. The Mavericks lost 119-110 to the Celtics Monday night despite a Luka Doncic 33-point triple double. Dallas will have Doncic healthy after he was questionable, but Kyrie Irving will be out. The Suns will be without Eric Gordon (wrist) and Bol Bol (foot).
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Local Game Information
Start Time: 6:30 p.m. MST
Location:Â American Airlines Center
TV Channel: 3TV/AZ Family, ABC
Radio:Â Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, La Mejor 106.5 FM
Stream:Â Suns Live (click for more info)
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) January 24, 2024
Betting Odds
Line: PHX -2.5
O/U:Â 241.5
Injury Report
Phoenix Suns: Eric Gordon (right wrist soreness) OUT | Bol Bol (right foot sprain) OUT |Â Damion Lee (right meniscus surgery) OUT
Starters
Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, Kevin Durant, Jusuf Nurkić
Dallas Mavericks:Â Luka Doncic, Josh Green, Derrick Jones Jr., Grant Williams, Dereck Lively II
Five Keys to Game for Suns
- Don’t get caught up in emotions of game
- Slow down Luka Doncic
- Defensive attention to detail
- Staying in same flow offensively
- Don’t allow run outs
Prediction
Suns 123 – Mavericks 118
This should be a very entertaining matchup, but I have the Suns picking up their seventh straight win in the end. Phoenix has shown how well it can play team basketball on offense as of late and give the ball to whoever of the Big 3 is hot. Their defense has also been stellar and will be the key if they want to win tonight. The Suns need to find a way to not make Luka Doncic score 50 on them again, so we will see what plan they devise. Overall, I think this game could be back-and-forth, but the Suns will have the upper hand in the end.
Flashback: Last Meeting (Dec. 25, 2023)
Suns extend losing streak to three games with 128-114 loss against Mavericks
Team Matchup Notes
Here are some stats, notes and everything else to know about the Suns and Mavericks before their second matchup of the season (via Suns):
Each team’s stats (via Suns):
Preview: Team injury reports
Mavericks reveal statuses of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic for tonight’s matchup against Suns
Preview: Suns begin road trip on hot streak
Phoenix Suns Surge in ESPN Power Rankings with Six-Game Winning Streak
Preview: Key stories from win over Bulls
Kevin Durant emulated the greats of the game with double-clutch game-winner
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
