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Mavericks vs Suns Odds, Predictions and Best Bet

Michael Harrison

by Michael Harrison in NBA Basketball

Updated Nov 16, 2021 · 7:33 PM PST

Devin Booker dribbling
Nov 14, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) brings the ball up the court during the first quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
  • The Phoenix Suns seek their 10th straight win as they host the Dallas Mavericks Wednesday, November 17th
  • The Mavs are expected to be without star Luka Doncic due to an ankle injury
  • The odds and matchups can be found below with a prediction

Two of the top teams in the Western Conference square off on Wednesday night, when the Phoenix Suns play host to the Dallas Mavericks for the first of two straight meetings in Phoenix.

Dallas (9-4) is attempting to win for the sixth time in their last seven contests, but they’re expected to be without Luka Doncic, who injured his ankle late in their victory Monday against the Nuggets.

After a rather inauspicious 1-3 start to the campaign in their Western Conference title defense, the Suns (10-3) have reeled off nine straight wins to grab second place in the West.

With the Mavs not having the services of their star guard, oddsmakers have installed the Suns as 8-point favorites in the first of three meetings this season.

Mavericks vs Suns Odds

Team Moneyline Spread Total
Dallas Mavericks +280 +8 (-110) OFF
Phoenix Suns -350 -8 (-110) OFF

Odds as of November 16 at FanDuel

Booker Leading Suns

The Suns’ fantastic start to the campaign has been led by Devin Booker, who leads the team in averaging 22.9 points per contest, seven more than his next closest teammate (Deandre Ayton).

They’re also getting solid contributions from Chris Paul and Mikal Bridges, giving them a quartet of players averaging at least 14 points per game, with Ayton picking up over 11 rebounds per outing and Paul distributing over 10 assists a showing.

They’ve tightened up defensively, after allowing at least 100 points in nine of their first 10 contests. Since then, Phoenix has held three straight opponents to an average of 93 points, though it was against Memphis, Houston and Minnesota.

Spectacular defense hasn’t exactly been the norm in this matchup recently, however, with each team scoring at least 102 points in their last eight matchups.

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Losing Doncic Obviously Huge Blow to Dallas

It’s hardly a hot take to say that losing Doncic for an extended period of time will severely hamper the Dallas Mavericks. Late Monday night in a game that had already been decided, he went down with an ankle injury that had Mavs fans holding their collective breath.

He appears to have escaped a serious injury, which realistically is the best Dallas could’ve hoped for after he left the game against Denver.

He’d scored at least 20 points in 11 of his previous 12 games, and two outings ago versus San Antonio, he was downright nasty.

2018 second rounder Jalen Brunson is having a career year and can pick up some of the slack, as he’s posting career-best totals in points per game (15.1), assists (4.7), and rebounds (4.4).

Mavs Will Lean On Porzingis

In the absence of Doncic, Dallas will be relying heavily on Kristaps Porzingis, in the short and long term. Since returning following a lower back injury which cost him five games, he’s averaged 23.2 points per game. He’s had his three highest point outputs of the season in the last three outings, racking up 83 points combined.

Look for the Mavs to feed it to their big man early and often in this one to attempt to shoulder even more of the load now that Doncic is injured.

What’s the Best Bet?

In their last six meetings, Phoenix has come out on top each and every time – and that’s with Doncic playing in all of those battles. Four of those have been within six points or less, with the Suns doling out two beatdowns of 29 and 26 points.

If you extrapolate their head-to-head total since the 2016-17 season, Phoenix has dominated to the tune of 14 wins in 18 contests.

This year, the Mavs have also struggled as underdogs against the spread, dropping all four games, and posting a pedestrian 5-8 record ATS. The Suns, meanwhile, are 8-5 in the same category, and are 7-4 as favorites.

Given their dominance over Dallas for a lengthy portion of time, their current 9-game winning streak, plus most importantly, no Doncic, the play here is Phoenix.

The Pick: Phoenix Suns (-350) + ATS -8 (-110)

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