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Suns vs Mavericks Game 4 Odds and Picks

Robert Duff

by Robert Duff in NBA Basketball

Updated May 7, 2022 · 7:42 PM PDT

Mavericks players celebrating
May 6, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates with owner Mark Cuban and teammates after leaving the game during the fourth quarter against the Phoenix Suns in game three of the second round of the 2022 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
  • The Phoenix Suns are 1.5-point road favorites over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of their NBA Western Conference second-round playoff series on Sunday, May 8
  • A Game 3 victory by the Mavs ended Phoenix’s 11-game win streak over Dallas
  • See below for odds and a betting prediction for Game 4

How should bettors be viewing the 103-94 loss by the Phoenix Suns to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 3 of their NBA Western Conference second-round playoff series?

Was it a fluke? An off-night for the defending Western Conference champion Suns? Or are the Mavericks for real and to be taken seriously the rest of the way?

Oddsmakers aren’t completely sold on the Mavs. They’re making the Suns 1.5-point road favorites for Game 4 of this best-of-seven set.

Even with the Game 3 setback, Phoenix is 4-1 straight up in the club’s last five visits to Dallas.

Mavericks vs Suns Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Total
Phoenix Suns -1.5 (-110) O 215 (-110) -125
Dallas Mavericks +1.5 (-110) U 215 (-110) +105

Odds as of May 7th at DraftKings Sportsbook

Tipoff for Sunday’s game at the American Airlines Center is set for 3:30pm ET. ESPN will be providing the broadcast. At a moneyline of -125, the Suns are given an implied probability of victory of 55.56%.

The NBA betting trends are also displaying a propensity of support for Phoenix. An overwhelming 87% of the bets placed against the spread are on the Suns at -1.5. In the moneyline, the splits are showing 85% of the bets are on the Suns at -125 odds. When it comes to the total, 57% of the public bets are on the Under (215).

What Made The Suns Go Down?

Even the best teams in the history of the NBA played the odd stinker. Maybe that’s all Game 3 was for the Suns.

They scored a season-low 94 points. Phoenix shot 44.7%, the first game in the postseason the Suns dipped below 50% from the field. Committing 17 turnovers and surrendering eight offensive rebounds, the Suns delivered 38 points on a platter to the Mavericks via those two stats.

Chris Paul committed seven of those 17 turnovers, a career high and all of them in the first half. Devin Booker added five turnovers of his own. The Suns spent too much time and energy grousing about the officiating.

Brunson Regains His Scoring Touch

Prior to Game 3, Dallas coach Jason Kidd challenged his players not named Luka Doncic to being contributing to the offense. Some of them evidently got the message. Reggie Bullock scored 15 points. Maxi Kleber netted 14 off the bench. But the key performer was guard Jalen Brunson.

In the opening round against the Utah Jazz, Brunson stepped up to pick up the slack while Doncic, a longshot contender in the NBA MVP odds, was out with injury.

Down 1-0 in the set to the Jazz, Brunson put the team on his back, pouring in 41 points during the Mavs’ Game 2 triumph. He kept the club afloat for three games while Doncic healed.

Just as quickly, Brunson faded into the background following Doncic’s return. He’d scored a combined total of 22 points through the first two games of this series.

Brunson went off for a game-high 28 points – two more than Doncic – in the Dallas Game 3 triumph. The Mavericks will need someone other than Doncic to be draining baskets with regularity to have any hope in this series.

Suns vs Mavericks Game 3 Prediction

The real Phoenix Suns will be showing up for Game 4. There’s nothing more dangerous than a great team coming off an embarrassing effort.

The Suns showed up for practice Saturday in a foul mood. They felt the sting of their calamitous Game 3 and exuded a determination that there won’t be a repeat performance.

No Suns player was able to get to 20 points in Game 3. That won’t be happening again. They know that they have to be better and they will be better.

Expect a significant bounceback display from Phoenix. Look for the Suns to cover easily in Game 4.

Pick: Phoenix Suns -1.5 (-110)

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