The Phoenix Suns visit the American Airlines Center to take on the Dallas Mavericks. The game starts at 9:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Apr. 8 and will air on ESPN, FSN-AZ and FSN-SW.
The Mavericks lost to the Warriors 123-110 on Saturday. Dirk Nowitzki finished with 18 points to lead the team. The Suns, meanwhile, are coming off an 87-85 win over the Jazz on Saturday. Gerald Green led the game in scoring with 24 points on 10-for-17 shooting.
The Suns have won all three matchups against the Mavericks this season, including a 98-92 victory in their last matchup. Marcus Morris played a big role with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment. The Mavericks enter the game with records of 46-31 Straight Up (SU) and 32-42-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 2-8 ATS over their last 10 games. The Mavericks have one of the most prolific offenses in the entire league, averaging 104.6 points per game. If its opponents turn the ball over, Dallas has shown that it knows how to capitalize. They average 19.5 points off turnovers, making them the second-best team in the league for that category.
On the other side, Phoenix has a SU record of 39-38 and an ATS record of 39-35-3. Phoenix has a record of 21-27 SU and 20-25-3 ATS against the West. The Suns rank fifth in the league in road scoring, averaging 104.0 points per game. The last 10 games have really brought the best of the Suns on the defensive end. They’ve allowed 96.0 points per game during that span, which is lower than their season average of 103.4.
Phoenix won the last meeting this season between these two teams, evening up the two teams’ head-to-head record over the last 10 games. The Suns hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Dallas held the edge in all three of these categories three times in the last 10 meetings. Phoenix did so once.
Predictions: SU Winner – DAL, ATS Winner – DAL
Notes
On average, Phoenix puts up 103.3 points per game (ranked eighth). Dallas ranks 23rd in points allowed per game with 101.7.
Phoenix averages 104.0 points per road game, placing the team fifth-best in the NBA. Dallas, on the other hand, gives up 102.5 points per home game (ranked 26th).
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Mavericks are 24-5 on the season. When the Suns score fewer than 100, they are an underachieving 7-22.
When the Dallas Mavericks allow at least 100 points they are 22-26, while the Phoenix Suns are 32-16 when they register triple digits.
The Suns have a defensive rating of 103.1 (ranked 17th). The Mavericks rank fifth for their offensive rating of 106.5.
Dallas averages fewer possessions per game than Phoenix, with 98.2 compared to 100.3. However, the Mavericks score an average of 1.065 points per possession, more than the 1.030 that the Suns score.
Dallas is among the top-ranked teams based on its average effective field goal percentage of 51.3% (ranked sixth in the NBA). Phoenix is a losing 10-19 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Dallas Mavericks make 22.4 assists per game and the Phoenix Suns make 20.3. Dallas is ranked eighth, while Phoenix is ranked 27th.
The Dallas Mavericks average 4.5 blocks per game for a rank of 21st. The Phoenix Suns rank higher (12th), earning 4.7 blocks each contest.
The Dallas Mavericks rank 19th in offensive rebounding, while the Phoenix Suns rank 12th in defensive rebounding.
The Dallas Mavericks earn an average of 8.2 steals per game and are ranked eighth. The Phoenix Suns have a 25-18 record when they allow at least 8 steals.
