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The Dallas Mavericks will attempt to avenge their opening night loss as they travel to the desert to take on the Phoenix Suns at the Talking Stick Resort Arena.
The Mavs suffered a humiliating 100-121 home setback against the Suns when they opened their 2018-19 campaign. A lot has changed since then. The Suns have since won just three games and Dallas rookie Luka Doncic has played like a true superstar.
Mavs Continue To Roll
The Dallas Mavericks continued to roll as they won their third straight game with a 114-107 conquest of the Atlanta Hawks. Rookie sensation Luka Doncic scored 24 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and issued 6 assists for Dallas. The win extended the Mavs’ home winning streak to 11 and Dallas has won 12 out of their last 15 games overall to move to 15-11 on the season. The Mavs now go to Phoenix to face the Suns on the second of back to back games.
The Mavericks average 110.1 points per game on the season, that’s good for 15th best in the entire league. Dallas is 20th in passing at 23 assists per game and they are 13th off the glass with 45.6 rebounds per game. Defensively, the Mavs are allowing their opponents to score just 108.0 points per game which is 8th best in the NBA this season.
Dallas Mavericks vs Phoenix Suns 12/13/18
Moneyline Odds: Mavericks -280, Suns +235
Odds from betonline.ag as of 12/13/18
The Losing Continues
The Suns lost a franchise record 15 straight games last season and eventually ended up with the #1 pick which became DeAndre Ayton. Ayton was supposed to team up with the previous year’s 4th pick Josh Jackson and the Suns’ young superstar Devin Booker. But this year has been no different and the losing continues. The Suns are 4-24 on the season and entrer Thursday’s matchup with the Mavs with a 10 games losing streak.
Phoenix is next to last in team scoring at only 102.2 points per game this season. The Suns are 16th in the league in assists at 23.6 dimes per contest. They are dreadful in rebounding with 40.0 boards per outing. Phoenix yields an average of 114.1 points per game which is 25th among 30 NBA teams.
Who Wins?
Dallas and Phoenix have met in a total of 155 regular season games. The Suns hold the advantage in their all-time series at 84-71. The Suns have won seven out of their last eight meetings including the last six. Phoenix has also won three out of the last four at their homecourt.
Dallas has played without sophomore guard Dennis Smith in their last three games because of a wrist injury but the Mavs are 2-1 in his absence. On the other hand, the Suns got back forward T.J. Warren two games ago and that’s good news for Phoenix. However, they are without guard Devin Booker who has not played in Phoenix’s’ last five games with a hamstring injury. The Suns are 0-5 in those five games.
The Mavs have their opening day loss in mind when they play the Suns on Thursday. As we said earlier, a lot of things have changed since that defeat. Dallas has been rolling with Luka Doncic while the Suns continue to lose and to be hampered by injuries to key players. The key to this game is Devin Booker’s absence. Without Booker, Phoenix loses at least 20 points per game plus his playmaking.
I’m not betting on the Suns with Devin Booker on the injured list and I don’t care if Dallas is just 2-9 on the road this season.
We’re picking the Dallas Mavericks to beat the Phoenix Suns on 12/13/18.
Other Bets To Make
Dallas is an impressive 17-8 ATS in 25 games played this season. However, the Mavericks are just 5-6 ATS in 11 road games played so far. Phoenix is 9-19 ATS in 28 games played so far this season. The Suns are 6-8 ATS in their 14 home games played this year. Head to head, the Suns are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 meetings versus the Mavs.
Dallas Mavericks vs Phoenix Suns 12/13/18
Spread Odds: Mavericks -7 (-110), Suns +7 (-110)
Odds from betonline.ag as of 12/13/18
The Mavs are 0-6 ATS in their last six meetings and 2-5 ATS in their last seven games played in Phoenix. But Phoenix is really playing bad right nw. They are being outscored by 11.9 points on the season and 17 points in their last five games played. Dallas is playing the second of back to back games and have played poorly on the road this season. But between backing Phoenix and laying a reasonable spread with the Mavs, I’ll take the latter.
Prediction: Mavs -7
The over and under are at an even 12-12 for the Mavs this season. The total has gone over in six out of the 11 road games played by Dallas. Meanwhile, the under is 16-12 in the Suns’ 28 games played this season. The total has gone under in eight out of the 14 home games played by Phoenix so far. Head to head, the under is 6-4 in the last 10 games between these two teams.
Dallas Mavericks vs Phoenix Suns 12/13/18
Over/Under Odds: Over 211 -110, Under 211 -110
Odds from betonline.ag as of 12/13/18
The total has gone under in four out of the last five games played by the Mavs. The under is 9-3 in the Suns’ last dozen games against their Western Conference rivals. Phoenix has failed to score at least 100 points in six out of their last eight games played. No Booker means less scoring for the Suns.
Prediction: Under 211
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