The Phoenix Suns take their six-game winning streak on the road tonight for a primetime matchup against the defending Finals runner-up Dallas Mavericks.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Phoenix is currently tied for the best record in the Western Conference at 7-1, while Dallas sits at 5-3 on the year.
The Suns last defeated the Miami Heat 115-112 Wednesday, coming back from down 15 points in the third quarter to win the game. Dallas blew out the Chicago Bulls 119-99 this same day.
This will be the second meeting between the two teams after the Suns took the first matchup 114-102 on Oct. 26 in Phoenix behind 31 points from Kevin Durant, who is still playing at an MVP level at age 36.
Here are some keys to victory for tonight’s game for the Suns:
Stick with what’s working in the clutch
This can be a key for every game at this point, as the Suns seemingly find themselves in close battles night in and night out, but are winning all of them.
Phoenix continues to boast the No. 1 record in the clutch (games within five points in last five minutes of fourth quarter/overtime) at 6-0 after defeating the Heat.
Durant has stolen the show down the stretch the last two games, but the Suns have played excellent team defense all season in the fourth quarter leading to the close victories.
In 27 total clutch minutes this season, the Suns are outscoring opponents 74-46 and have an offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) of 132.1 and a defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) of 80.7, making for a ridiculous net rating (point differential per 100 possessions) of 51.4 (via NBA.com).
Against a team similar to the Phoenix that includes three players who are more than comfortable in tight situations (Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson), the Suns will have their work cut out for themselves defensively if this game is in fact close again, but have shown to be more than capable of defending in these situations.
Win the bench minutes
Phoenix will likely be without rookie Ryan Dunn this matchup, as he is doubtful with a left ankle sprain.
On the other side, the Mavericks will presumably be down three rotation players in P.J. Washington (out with right knee sprain), Dereck Lively II (out with right shoulder sprain) and Maxi Kleber (doubtful with right hamstring strain).
Even without Dunn, who is averaging 15.9 minutes per game, with the way Royce O’Neale and Grayson Allen have been playing off the Phoenix bench, the Suns have a great chance to use their depth to their advantage tonight.
Reduce turnovers
“Turnovers kept them in the game. They had 20 points off our turnovers. That’s what kept them going. That’s the stat that stood out to me.”
That is a quote from Kevin Durant after the win over the Heat when he was discussing why the Suns couldn’t get momentum going until late in the game.
The Suns finished with 16 turnovers against Miami after two-straight contests of having 14. In the first meeting against Dallas, the Suns tied a season-low with 11 turnovers, which allowed them to stay in front the entire night and not let Dallas back into it.
Try to replicate first matchup
I brought this list up a few games ago, but now the craziness of Phoenix’s season has only continued with how its games have played out:
- Game 1: 116-113 OT win over Clippers coming back from down 10 points in fourth quarter
- Game 2: 123-116 loss to Lakers blowing 22-point second quarter lead
- Game 3: 114-102 win over Mavericks leading pretty much from start to finish
- Game 4: 109-105 win over Lakers coming back from down 18 in first quarter
- Game 5: 125-119 win over Clippers coming back from down 21 points near beginning of second half
- Game 6: 103-97 win over Trail Blazers nearly squandering 26-point lead in last minute of game (got to within 2)
- Game 7: 118-116 win over 76ers coming back from down 9 with 5 minutes to go
- Game 8: 115-112 win over Heat coming back from down 15 in third quarter
The Mavericks game remains the only matchup without drastic swings one way or the other for Phoenix. In this win, as mentioned above, Phoenix reduced turnovers, and another notable stat was won the fastbreak points 18-4. This was also a statement game for Phoenix’s defense holding Dallas to a season-low team shooting percentage thus far at 39.8%.
Phoenix needs to take care of the ball, put pressure on shooters defensively and get out and run off misses if it wants to replicate the formula of what worked in the first meeting between the two teams.
Local Game Information
Start Time: 5:30 p.m. MST
Location: American Airlines Center (Dallas)
TV Channel: ESPN, AZ Family/3TV
Radio: Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, La Mejor 106.5 FM
Stream: Suns Live (click for more info)
In Dallas tonight.
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???? https://t.co/NW4LPYzvbn pic.twitter.com/3X1ZNyP5BX— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 8, 2024
Betting Odds (DraftKings)
Line: DAL -2.5
O/U: 232
Injury Report
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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
