What’s up with the Dallas Mavericks?
These two teams are going in different directions at the moment. For the Mavs, Luka Doncic has been playing MVP-caliber basketball all year long. Dallas, though, is 3-8 in January and has recently dropped two straight games coming into the matchup with Phoenix.
Luka has been nothing but incredible, scoring 29 or more in each of the last four games, including three double-doubles and a 41-point showing versus the Washington Wizards on Tuesday.
The Mavs have Luka Magic but his scoring can only take them so far. Wins are hard to come by if Luka isn’t getting the help he needs on the court.
If guys like Spencer Dinwiddie and Tim Hardaway Jr. won’t be consistent with the ball, Dallas will continue to struggle on offense.
What’s up with the Phoenix Suns?
The Suns started the year in pretty bad shape, losing seven of eight games. They turned it around, however, with four straight wins.
They are coming off a blowout win against the Hornets without Deandre Ayton so that’s a good sign that they’re getting their rhythm back. One more thing that all fans can be excited about is Chris Paul’s return. He played his second game versus the Hornets and finished with 14 points.
We’ll be seeing the Suns in a better direction with their leaders getting healthy. CP3 had back-to-back doubles since returning from injury and Ayton should be good to go for the faceoff with Mavs after missing the Charlotte game due to illness.
Prediction
If I’m being honest here, this is a really tough game to predict, especially with both teams having confusing months.
Ayton should hopefully be okay for the game which is good news for Phoenix. However, they seem more inconsistent right now. Meanwhile, the Mavs look like they can score more consistently throughout the game, as Luka has been on fire, making every game an opportunity for him to put up another 40-plus point performance.
My best guess for this game would be Dallas, but it’s going to be a close one. The Suns will struggle to stop the Mavs on the perimeter because they can score from wherever on the field and have the ability to light them from the outside.
Where to watch
You can catch the Mavericks and Suns in action live tomorrow at 11:00 AM on NBA League Pass.
