Just getting past the first round is a huge accomplishment for the Dallas Mavericks, but don’t think they’re going to stop there. For the first time since winning the NBA title in 2011 the Mavs advanced by knocking off the Utah Jazz in six games. They hadn’t won any of their six previous playoff series so this is a different experience for this group. They hung tough against Utah without Luka Doncic for a few games, eventually overpowering the club that finished the 2020-21 season with the best record in the NBA. Can they win a road game against the Phoenix Suns, the best team in the Association this season? Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinal takes place on Wednesday night.
The NBA playoff game between the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns will air live on TNT with tip off at 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 4, 2022 from Footprint Center in Phoenix. BookMaker.eu will have betting options for every game on the NBA playoff schedule.
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They had homecourt advantage in the first round but didn’t need it beating the Jazz in six games with two of the triumphs, including the Game 6 clincher, on the road. That’s a good sign for the Mavs, who could use positives in their matchup with the top team in the league. Dallas finished the regular season 12 games behind Phoenix, but they did play three close games. The Mavs got swept in the season series with all games decided by eight points or less. In fact beating the Suns has been a problem – the Mavs enter the series having lost nine straight while going 2-7 ATS. Dallas is a strong road team winning two of three games in Utah while going 3-0 ATS. They are 25-19 overall on the road with payouts in 61.4 percent of those games.
It was an easy ride through the regular season with a franchise record 64 wins finishing eight games clear of Memphis for the best record. Maybe the Suns needed a close series in the opening round to get them going, and they certainly got it from New Orleans. Not many expected the Suns to lose the series but it came down to a best-of-three after the teams split the first four. Following a 15-point setback in Game 4, Phoenix responded with payout wins in the next to advance. Losing Game 2 at home to the Pels was shocking since the Suns owned the best mark in the Association going 32-9 SU but just 19-22 ATS.
Dallas Mavericks
Winning on the road in the NBA isn’t easy. Winning a road playoff game is even more difficult. The Mavs went into a hostile environment in Utah where the Jazz have seemingly always been tough to beat, and pulled out a pair of wins. They got the 98-96 series clincher in Game 6 when a Utah player missed a wide open three-pointer at the buzzer. But the Mavs wouldn’t have been in position if not for making adjustments ... and having Doncic on their side.
After missing the first three games of the Utah series, Doncic returned with a pair of 30-point games. He averaged 29 points in the series and got plenty of help from backcourt mate Jalen Brunson, who picked up the offense in Luka’s absence. Brunson averaged 27.8 points shooting over 48 percent from the field giving the Mavs a backcourt duo that can match what the Suns have.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns survived nearly the entire second half of the season with Chris Paul sidelined with a hand injury. They were forced to play three and a half games without leading scorer Devin Booker and they survived that too. Booker wasn’t nearly as effective when he returned for Game 6 of he New Orleans series making just 5 of 12 shots for 13 points. But he drained a crucial three-pointer late in the fourth quarter to help the Suns to victory. And he will only get better as time goes by.
The time off likely helped Paul, who’s been a monster this postseason. He did something in the clincher against the Pels that no player in NBA history had done. Paul was a remarkable 14 of 14 shooting for 33 points and also had 19 fourth quarter points in Games 1 and 3 to help the Suns win. He certainly doesn’t look like a 36-year-old on the floor rather a superstar chasing his first NBA championship.
Mavericks at Suns NBA Odds Pick
The teams played close games during the regular season and we’re likely to see more of the same. Winning twice in Utah proves the Mavs can win anywhere, but the Suns are the best for a reason. Their depth prevailed, the backcourt when healthy is one of if not the best in the league, and they are motivated.
NBA Odds Prediction: Phoenix Suns / UNDER
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