by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Jan 25, 2023
Time: 10 p.m. ET
Venue: Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ
Where to watch: TNT
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Suns -1
FanDuel: NL
BetMGM: NL
Caesars: Suns -1.5
Season record
Mavs: 25-24
Suns: 25-24
The second half of the basketball season is upon us, and what a cluster we've got in the standings right now, right? So many teams are in the playoff hunt, so many teams not expected to make the playoffs are in the process of trying to prove people wrong. You know who doesn't need to be made wrong? Our champion handicappers who have been killing it all year long. Scott Rickenbach is coming off a 5-2-0 week over the last seven days, while Doc's Sports has been efficient at 14-8-0 over the last 30 days. Do you want to get on this winning? Make sure you're following our champion handicappers at bigal.com to celebrate in these moments!
Mavs - Suns preview, prediction and analysis
Recent form
Mavs: lost 127-126 vs. Wizards on Tuesday
Suns: won 128-97 vs. Hornets on Tuesday
The Dallas Mavericks will be playing the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, January 26 in Phoenix, Arizona.
The Dallas Mavericks lost against the Washington Wizards Tuesday, January 24 in Dallas, Texas with a score of 127-126. The Dallas Mavericks currently rank 3rd in the Southwest Division. Luka Doncic had 41 points and 15 rebounds for the Mavericks. Doncic still had on the jersey he ripped when he missed a free throw that would have put Dallas in front with 12.5 seconds to go when he bumped Kumza on a drive along the sideline.
The Mavericks challenged, but the call was confirmed. Kuzma missed the first free throw but swished the second.
Doncic tried twice to pass to Spencer Dinwiddie out of a double team on the final possession. The Wizards knocked the first out of bounds, and former Maverick Delon Wright stole the second to seal the victory.
“Luka had the right intention, was making the right play,” Dinwiddie said. “Delon just made a good play with his hands, something he's known for.”
It has continued to go downhill for the Mavs with no end in sight. Dallas has lost seven of 10 and is running out of excuses. They can't play defense, and everything is on the onus of Luka. It is frustrating if you're a Mavericks fan.
The Phoenix Suns won against the Charlotte Hornets Tuesday, January 24 in Phoenix, Arizona with a score of 128-97. The Phoenix Suns currently rank 3rd in the Pacific Division. Cam Johnson scored 24 points in just 18 minutes, Dario Saric added 19 off the bench and the Phoenix Suns won their fourth straight game. The four-game winning streak has helped the Suns make a huge jump in the jumbled Western Conference race — all the way from 12th to sixth. Before the recent winning streak, they had lost 12 of 14.
“It's the NBA — you weather storms. It's life — you weather storms," Johnson said. "Things don't always go your way. We've found that out the past couple years. That doesn't mean you tuck tail, run, sell the farm, hide away forever.
“We have a lot of confidence in our group. Top to bottom.”
The Suns built a 30-point lead midway through the second quarter, though Charlotte cut it to 58-50 early in the third. Phoenix rebuilt its lead to 98-77 by the fourth before cruising to the comfortable victory.
Johnson was hot from the outset, scoring 16 points in seven minutes in the first quarter by making all six of his shots, including four 3-pointers. The forward was playing in his third game since returning from a knee injury that kept him out more than two months. He's knocked the rust off quickly, shooting 9 of 11 from the field against the Hornets, including 6 of 7 from 3-point range.
“To see that ball come off his hands as easy as it did tonight was pretty cool,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “When he's making shots like that, it opens it up for everyone else.”
Suns guard Chris Paul added 14 points and 11 assists. Mikal Bridges scored 18 points and Jock Landale had 15. Bismack Biyombo blocked five shots.
The Suns have put together a nice little run and seem to have a formula together without Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton. If that's consistent, then this is going to be scary for the Western Conference for when they do return.
Prediction
If the Mavs can't figure this banged up team out, something's got to change. Something in the rotation, something in the coaching staff, something in the starting five. Something has to change before things get worse. Mavs 110, Suns 107
The Dallas Mavericks will be playing the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, January 26 in Phoenix, Arizona.
The Dallas Mavericks lost against the Washington Wizards Tuesday, January 24 in Dallas, Texas with a score of 127-126. The Dallas Mavericks currently rank 3rd in the Southwest Division. Luka Doncic had 41 points and 15 rebounds for the Mavericks. Doncic still had on the jersey he ripped when he missed a free throw that would have put Dallas in front with 12.5 seconds to go when he bumped Kumza on a drive along the sideline.
The Mavericks challenged, but the call was confirmed. Kuzma missed the first free throw but swished the second.
Doncic tried twice to pass to Spencer Dinwiddie out of a double team on the final possession. The Wizards knocked the first out of bounds, and former Maverick Delon Wright stole the second to seal the victory.
“Luka had the right intention, was making the right play,” Dinwiddie said. “Delon just made a good play with his hands, something he's known for.”
It has continued to go downhill for the Mavs with no end in sight. Dallas has lost seven of 10 and is running out of excuses. They can't play defense, and everything is on the onus of Luka. It is frustrating if you're a Mavericks fan.
The Phoenix Suns won against the Charlotte Hornets Tuesday, January 24 in Phoenix, Arizona with a score of 128-97. The Phoenix Suns currently rank 3rd in the Pacific Division. Cam Johnson scored 24 points in just 18 minutes, Dario Saric added 19 off the bench and the Phoenix Suns won their fourth straight game. The four-game winning streak has helped the Suns make a huge jump in the jumbled Western Conference race — all the way from 12th to sixth. Before the recent winning streak, they had lost 12 of 14.
“It's the NBA — you weather storms. It's life — you weather storms," Johnson said. "Things don't always go your way. We've found that out the past couple years. That doesn't mean you tuck tail, run, sell the farm, hide away forever.
“We have a lot of confidence in our group. Top to bottom.”
The Suns built a 30-point lead midway through the second quarter, though Charlotte cut it to 58-50 early in the third. Phoenix rebuilt its lead to 98-77 by the fourth before cruising to the comfortable victory.
Johnson was hot from the outset, scoring 16 points in seven minutes in the first quarter by making all six of his shots, including four 3-pointers. The forward was playing in his third game since returning from a knee injury that kept him out more than two months. He's knocked the rust off quickly, shooting 9 of 11 from the field against the Hornets, including 6 of 7 from 3-point range.
“To see that ball come off his hands as easy as it did tonight was pretty cool,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “When he's making shots like that, it opens it up for everyone else.”
Suns guard Chris Paul added 14 points and 11 assists. Mikal Bridges scored 18 points and Jock Landale had 15. Bismack Biyombo blocked five shots.
The Suns have put together a nice little run and seem to have a formula together without Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton. If that's consistent, then this is going to be scary for the Western Conference for when they do return.
Prediction
If the Mavs can't figure this banged up team out, something's got to change. Something in the rotation, something in the coaching staff, something in the starting five. Something has to change before things get worse. Mavs 110, Suns 107
Betting trends
Mavs are 7-17 ATS off an over this season.
Mavs are 3-12 ATS after failing to cover 6 or 7 of the last 8 this season.
Suns are 35-10 ATS as a home favorite of 6 points or less the last 3 years.
Projected starting lineup
Mavs:
PG: Luka Doncic
SG: Spencer Dinwiddie
SF: Tim Hardaway Jr.
PF: Dorian Finney-Smith
C: Dwight Powell
Suns:
PG: Chris Paul
SG: Duane Washington Jr.
SF: Mikal Bridges
PF: Cameron Johnson
C: Bismack Biyombo
Injury report
Mavs: Christian Wood (ankle, out), Maxi Kleber (hamstring, out)
Suns: Devin Booker (groin, out), Deandre Ayton (out), Cam Payne (foot, out), Landry Shamet (foot, out)
Mavs: Christian Wood (ankle, out), Maxi Kleber (hamstring, out)
Suns: Devin Booker (groin, out), Deandre Ayton (out), Cam Payne (foot, out), Landry Shamet (foot, out)
Statistical leaders
Mavs:
Points: Luka Doncic -- 33.8
Rebounds: Luka Doncic -- 9.1
Assists: Luka Doncic -- 8.6
Suns:
Points: Devin Booker -- 27.1
Rebounds: Deandre Ayton -- 9.9
Assists: Chris Paul -- 8.4
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Dallas Mavericks - Phoenix Suns prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NBA/college basketball projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
