The Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks will meet in one of two Western Conference semifinal matchups after taking similar paths to get here. Both teams suffered injuries to their star players that forced them to lose time, but they still overcame that adversity to take care of their opponents in the first round. The Suns faced a Pelican team that gave them more trouble than anyone expected, while the Mavericks outplayed a Jazz team that couldn’t take advantage of a Dallas team that was without Luka Doncic for three games.
While the Suns swept the Mavericks 3-0 in the regular season, Doncic didn’t play in two of those matchups, and the only game Doncic played in was a close one. This series should be an exciting one filled with a lot of star power. With that said, here’s everything you need to know ahead of Game 1 between Phoenix and Dallas.
(1) Phoenix Suns contra (4) Dallas Mavericks
- When: Monday May 2 | 10 p.m. Eastern Time
- Where: Footprint Center – Phoenix, Arizona
- TELEVISION: TNT | live broadcast: TNT application
- Possibilities: PHX-230; DAL +190; O/U 214.5 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
featured game | Phoenix Suns contra Dallas Mavericks
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soles: Although the Suns were tested against the Pelicans, they match up incredibly well against a Mavericks team that lacks size. Phoenix will likely try to take advantage of Dallas’ small lineups, with big man Deandre Ayton at the center of it all. Ayton said after shooting practice Sunday that he knows the Mavericks will try to be small against him, but he doesn’t expect it to have a significant impact on the way the Suns play.
“At the end of the day, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it…and our stuff here ain’t broke.” Ayton said.
Ayton should have another dominant series against the Mavericks, which should bode well for the 2018 No. 1 overall pick as he enters restricted free agency expecting a big payday. Game 1 will be about both teams feeling each other up, and I expect Ayton to have a great night as the Mavericks have no real answer for the dominant big man.
Mavericks: It will be interesting to see how the Suns defend Doncic, because in the past Mikal Bridges has been the 23-year-old superstar shooting guard’s main defender. While Bridges has made life difficult for Doncic in previous matchups, it’s not like Phoenix has managed to shut him down completely. But if Bridges and Jae Crowder manage to neutralize Doncic, it will be up to Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie to pick up the slack.
Brunson has already shown he can do that, but Dinwiddie struggled a lot in the first round to provide consistent offensive production when he was on the court. Dallas will need Dinwiddie to play like the guy who averaged 15.8 points on 49 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep after acquiring him at the trade deadline this season if they want to stand a chance against the Suns.
Prediction
I think the Suns will try to set the tone for this series and impose their will against the Mavericks in Game 1. I expect Ayton to have a great game, which will force Dallas coach Jason Kidd to search for answers on how to contain him in the future. in this series Choose: Soles -5.5
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