NBA: Dallas Mavericks vs Phoenix Suns Pick and Predictions 10/19/2022

Game: 10:10 PM ET, Wednesday, October 19th

Venue:  Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona

Where to Watch: ESPN 

Mavericks: 52-30, 4th in Western Conference, PLAYOFFS; 0-0 fresh start

Suns: 64-18, 1st in Western Conference, PLAYOFFS; 0-0 fresh start

DraftKings:  Point Spread: Phoenix -5; 216.5 O/U

Don Best: Point Spread: Phoenix -4.5; 216.5 O/U

William Hill: Point Spread: Phoenix -5; 216.5 O/U

Mavericks: PG Luka Doncic, SG Tim Hardaway JR, SF Reggie Bullock, PF Dorian Finney Smith, C Javale McGee

Suns: Pg Chris Paul, SG Devin Booker, SF Mikal Bridges, PF Cameron Johnson, C Deandre Ayton

A Western Conference matchup of Playoff teams from last season.  The Mavericks have what many consider the best young player in the game of basketball, Luka Doncic.  The Suns have lots of quality players that create a solid amount of depth and strength at every position.  This is a battle of contrasting styles… and a measure if either team has made the right offseason adjustments.

Another NBA season is HERE!  The looming shadow of a 7’4 french teenager will cause several bottom dwelling teams to simply not put their best foot forward.  It’s not exactly losing on purpose, but 8-10 teams will be starting the wrong guys and trading away anyone who may be doing too well while on the floor (that is if they can get draft assets for them).  This streak of tanking should be historic… It should also lead to more changes in the draft lottery if it gets too bad.  For teams like the Mavericks and the Suns this is a blessing.  They will get lots of easy wins as they prepare for a certain Playoff spot.

The Dallas Mavericks spent last season with choppy offensive numbers, but solid defensive numbers.  On offense they rely on PG Luka Doncic… along with Giannis and LeBron… Luka is a unicorn who seems to touch the ball on every positive offensive moment the team has… He gets assists, rebounds and tons of points.  He is also still very young.  The chall;enge for the Mavericks has been finding the “right” team of guys to put around Luka.  Guys like Reggie Bullock and Tim Hardawy Jr are nice shooters but still just castoffs from multiple other teams… SF Dorian Finney-Smith is wildly impactful in games without putting up mind-boggling numbers… Dorian’s defense and rebounding provide a solid foundation for what Luka is doing.  The brain trust in Dallas decided that New Big Man was the way to go… So, C Javale McGee and C Christian Wood have joined the band… This pushes C Dwight Powell (the previous starter) down to 3rd on the depth chart.  Dwight is not without talent and should be earmarked as a trade option coming soon.  A further addition is PG Spencer Dinwiddie… who may not have worked in an injury riddled season in Los Angeles… but backing up Luka should be a relatively stressless gig… The guy may never play if you look at Luka’s usage rate.

The Phoenix Suns were the favorites all season long for the NBA Finals out of the Western Conference… but they never got there.  They had loads of depth starting with the Point God Chris Paul, SG Devin Booker, and Center Deandre Ayton… Those are legit stars in 3 spots.  Yes, CP3 is getting long in the tooth and gray around the temples… but still he makes magic with the ball in the open court and half court sets.  The hidden key to all of last year’s winning is SF Mikal Bridges… This kid is a great two-way player!  Mikal does the dirty work on the glass and stops all-stars on opposing teams on defense… and is solid enough to pour in some points.  The Sun’s bench has been very solid with PG Cameron Payne, SG Landry Shamet… but this year’s BIG bench addition is PF Dario Saric… Dario has shown flashes of real quality over the years since he was a teenage first round draft pick in PHILLY… Although he spent every minute of last season on the injury list.  If his return represents full health… He will push Cameron Johnson for the starting spot.  Lots of drama surrounds the Suns as their owner was unmasked as an all around jerk… Facing pressure of a one year suspension and bailing sponsorships he has promised to sell the team and the league has initiated finding a “suitable” buyer.  That drama could upset a group led by anyone other than Chris Paul!

Last season Jack Banks was 78-42 (+ $31,270) in the NBA You should be following a handicapper all season long!  Get Jack Banks'  picks right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. BigAl.com can help you with all your bets from NCAAF, NFL, MLB, NHL… get positive value from all your bets! Remember: winning a bet is way more fun than making a bet!

The Mavericks finished last season 24th in scoring with 108 points per game… thankfully for Mavs fans they finished 2nd in defense of points by holding opponents to 104.7 ppg, 18th in FG percentage with 46.1%, 19th in 3-point percentage with 35%, and 24th in offensive rebounds.

Our prediction for Wednesday, October 19th is…. Suns 115 - Mavericks 105

The Phoenix Suns will come out of the gate strong.  They always do win early.  Bet on the Suns don’t think twice about it.

Don't miss our champion handicappers' Free NBA Picks and Premium Selections every day here at Bigal.com. Just click on Shop Picks for our Best Bets, or click on Shop Subscriptions to

join for a week or a month. And if you enjoyed this Mavericks/Suns preview, be sure to bookmark Bigal.com for our daily Game Previews and Predictions.  Get help with all your college football picks, National Football league, NCAA brackets, or any prop bets on your season schedule. 

Dallas is 370-287 ATS as a road underdog since 1996.

The Suns are 29-7 as a home favorite of under 6 points the last 3 seasons.

Mavericks: Back-up C Christian Wood.  Christian is an expensive addition if the team keeps him as a back-up.  His strength is offense, his weakness is defense.  In the last few years he has played well for bottom of the barrel teams.. Specifically the Pistons and the Rockets. If Christain can not earn the starting spot over Javale Mcgee… This offseason may have been a waste.

Suns: Back-up PF Dario Saric.  Dario was touted as an international player with an uber amount of upside.  Injuries have held him back… Season after season has passed by while teams have waited for him to pop.  This is the season that will define if that pop ever happens.  If it does, the Suns have a strong game at PF… If it doesn’t, Cameron Johnson will have to tow the boat from that spot without much help.

Mavericks: Jason “huh? Am I good” Kidd

Suns: Monty “I’m a saint” Williams