Two hot teams get together on Thursday in the first game of TNT’s NBA doubleheader. With a roster as close to complete as it’s been all season, the Dallas Mavericks are winning games. They knocked off Oklahoma City on MLK Day for their third straight success and ninth in 10 games. This is more what we expected from Dallas after last season ended in a first-round playoff failure. The NBA-best Phoenix Suns picked up where they left off last season and look like a strong contender to return to the NBA Finals. Winners of four straight and seven of nine, the Suns go for the season sweep of the Mavs having won twice earlier this season in the desert.
The contest between the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks takes place at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 20, 2022, from American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX and will air live on TNT. BookMaker.eu will have odds for every game on the Thursday NBA schedule.
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Odds Analysis
Just like last season the Suns are rocking the NBA. They’ve had the best record in the league for much of the season and opened up a bigger lead with the Warriors going through a mini slump. Avoiding prolonged slumps has been key. They haven’t lost more than two games in a row and they’ve done that just twice, most recently at the end of December. They responded by winning three games in a row and since the start of January they are 7-1 SU and 6-2 ATS. The Suns have yet to lose a road game in 2022 going 6-0 SU and 5-1 ATS and they are a league best 17-4 SU and 13-8 ATS away from home.
The Mavericks are playing their best basketball of the season launching them further up the Western Conference standings. Inconsistent play throughout most of the season prevented them from getting too far over the .500 mark. They were five games over the breakeven point in mid-November before losing 14 of their next 21 games. Getting Luka Doncic back from an extended injury and COVID stay was a plus, and Kristaps Porzingis also recently returned. So I guess it’s not a complete surprise that, like the Suns, Dallas has been rolling since the start of the year. Their run of nine wins in 10 games actually began with a win over Sacramento of Dec. 31 going 7-3 ATS.
Phoenix Suns
Incredible balance has the Suns perched atop the overall NBA standings. And it might be safe to say they are better than last season’s 51-win team. Management has made all the right moves in response to COVID absences and stocking the roster. And the group just goes all out for Monty Williams. It starts with leadership and Chris Paul delivers that and more. Not only is CP3 the veteran presence, he can still ball. Paul had 15 points and 12 rebounds in Monday’s 121-107 win over the Spurs.
Paul is one of eight players averaging more than 10 points per game and leads the club dishing out 10 assists a night. The key is Devin Booker, who went off for 48 to take down the Spurs. Booker has scored at least 30 points in each of his last three games to pace the NBA’s third-highest scoring offense.
Dallas Mavericks
I guess you could say this is a measuring stick for the Mavs. They lost consecutive games to the Suns in Phoenix back in November playing both without Doncic. They lost by seven and eight points covering the spread each time, and it’s safe to say Doncic could have made a difference. He has since returning from a lengthy absence due to safety protocols and a sore leg. He returned on Jan. 2 starting the teams current run of success.
Doncic has scored at least 20 points in seven consecutive games despite struggles shooting the basketball. That the Mavs are winning shows you that Luka is more than just scoring points. He has three triple-doubles in his last five games averaging nearly nine assists. And the defense has been solid over the last 11 games holding eight opponents to fewer than 100 points while allowing only 94.5 points per game. That’s been money for UNDER bettors with the Mavs playing below the closing total 10 times in that span.
NBA Odds Pick
The Mavs get the worst of the schedule for this matchup. Playing the second of a home back-to-back and their third game in four nights leaves them at a disadvantage since the Suns last played on Monday. But the Mavs will have Doncic for this one after he missed the previous games in Phoenix. A nice hot streak, playing at home and with Luka on the floor has me poised to back the home team.
NBA Odds Prediction: Mavericks 108, Suns 104
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