If you’re looking for a great NBA game to follow on Friday night, then look no further than the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix. The surging Suns host the Dallas Mavericks in a matchup of two teams ready to contend for the Western Conference title.
Dallas comes into this game with an overall record of 9-5, and they are going to have a great shot at winning the Southwest Division. The Mavericks have been a consistent playoff contender, but it appears that they are ready to now become contenders.
The Suns got off to a slow start this season, but it didn’t take them long to get things figured out. Phoenix has now rattled off ten straight wins to improve their record to 11-3 on the season.
These two teams met up on Wednesday night, and it was the Suns that came away with a 105-98 victory.
Doncic Doubtful For Dallas
Luka Doncic is dealing with an ankle injury for Dallas, and he did not play in the Wednesday night matchup with the Suns. Doncic is doubtful for Friday night as well, and the Suns are clearly catching a huge break as the point guard is a legitimate MVP candidate.
Dallas has struggled to score points for much of the season, and they are now facing one of the best defensive teams in the league. The Mavericks do like to shoot three-point shots, and they can be tough to deal with if they are making them.
Kristaps Porzingis is scoring nearly 20 points per game this season, and he will try to take over without Doncic on the floor. Tim Hardaway Jr. poured in 23 points on Wednesday night, and he is another player that the Mavericks must account for.
Dallas will be looking for some revenge on Friday night, but they’ll be doing it without their best player.
Suns Featuring Dominant Defense
The Suns made a thrilling run to the NBA Finals a season ago, but that was mostly due to their scoring capabilities. Phoenix has not been as explosive on the offensive end of the floor this season, but they have turned up the pressure on the defense.
The Suns have given up 98 points or less in each of their last four games, and they just don’t make things easy on their opponents. Phoenix is now scoring close to 111 points per game, but there is still another level for this offense to get to.
Devin Booker has started to heat up for the Suns as he leads the way with 23.0 points per game. Chris Paul continues to do a little bit of everything for the team, dishing out 10.5 assists per game.
The Suns proved that they have what it takes to beat Dallas once, but they will now be looking to put together another solid performance on Friday night.
Phoenix Picks Up 11th Straight Win
The health and status of Luka Doncic is simply too hard to ignore when trying to handicap this game. Even if the young point guard is in the lineup, he isn’t going to be anywhere near 100 percent.
The Suns have turned into a dominant defensive team, and Dallas just isn’t going to find much room to operate in this game. Phoenix is eventually going to suffer another loss at some point, but it’s not going to happen on Friday night.
This should be an entertaining and close matchup on Friday night, but taking the Suns at home is the right way to go. Phoenix will continue its ascent to the top of the Western Conference standings.
