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The Phoenix Suns will see the fifth installment of their road trip continue with a stop in Texas as they head over to the American Airlines Center to play the Dallas Mavericks on January 20th.
Coming off a 121-107 win against the San Antonio Spurs, the Phoenix Suns have recorded their fourth consecutive win. With the result, the Suns also find themselves safely at the top spot in the Western Conference table.
The Dallas Mavericks will head into this game on the back of a 102-98 win against the Toronto Raptors. With their fourth win in a row, the Mavericks find themselves at 26-19 on the season.
Thursday night's matchup will be the third and final matchup of the season between the two teams. With the Suns leading 2-0, the Mavericks will look to walk away with at least one win to prevent a series sweep.
Match Details
Fixture - Phoenix Suns vs Dallas Mavericks | 2021-22 NBA Season.
Date & Time - Thursday, January 20th, 2022; 7:30 PM ET (Friday, January 21st, 2022; 6:00 AM IST.)
Venue - American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX.
Phoenix Suns Preview
The win against the Spurs gave the Phoenix Suns their fourth win in a row. With a 34-9 record, the Suns also find themselves in a clear position as the first seed in the West, as they lead the Warriors by 2.5 games.
The game against San Antonio saw an impressive performance by Devin Booker, who caught fire in the game as he contributed 48 points and six assists on 18-33 shooting from the field.
Behind Booker's spectacular night, the Suns also enjoyed double-doubles by Chris Paul and Bismack Biyombo.
Heading into their next matchup, the Suns will look to continue their winning streak. Although Deandre Ayton being out of the rotation does pose a slight setback, JaVale McGee and Biyombo have emerged as reliable replacements for the star.
Key Player - Mikal Bridges
The Phoenix Suns will look to Mikal Bridges to be a key player in this game against the Mavericks.
Bridges has emerged as a phenomenal two-way player with the Suns. Featuring a reliable three-point shot along with a nifty midrange game, the 25-year old provides Phoenix with an average of 12 points on 50.6% shooting from the field.
Mikal Bridges will be a key contributor on the defensive end. Potentially drawing on the task of covering Luka Doncic, Bridges will have to ensure that the Slovenian struggles to find his rhythm in this game.
Phoenix Suns Predicted Lineup
G - Chris Paul | G - Devin Booker | F - Mikal Bridges | F - Jae Crowder | C - JaVale McGee
Dallas Mavericks Preview
The Dallas Mavericks will head into this game with a head of steam. With four wins in a row, the Mavericks continue their climb up the Western Conference ladder.
The win against the Toronto Raptors featured a tremendous performance by Luka Doncic. Doncic recorded 41 points and 14 rebounds on 54% shooting from the field. Over the course of the last few games, Doncic has continued to establish himself as the main man for the Dallas Mavericks.
Additionally, the last few games have also seen the return of Kristaps Porzingis to the rotation. Porzingis had missed a significant amount of time due to injury. His availability for the side provides a significant amount of flexibility for their rotations.
Although the Dallas Mavericks shot poorly from the three-point line in this game against Toronto, their overall shooting from the field along, and the way they shared the ball saw them sweep the Raptors in the season series.
Key Player - Kristaps Porzingis
The Dallas Mavericks will look to Kristaps Porzingis to be a key player in Wednesday night's matchup at home. Porzingis is one of the most talented big men in the league. The Latvian has been nicknamed "The Unicorn" because of his extensive offensive skillset and size.
Although he has been prone to injuries and has struggled to live up to his potential in Dallas, what Porzingis offers to the side will be essential if they are to make noise in the playoffs.
At 7'3", Porzingis is one of the most versatile big men. Featuring a sweet stroke from beyond the arc and a keen sense of rebounding, the 26-year old fits the prototype for the modern day stretch 4.
Heading into the next game, Porzingis will have to establish himself as a threat to the Suns' big man rotation. With Deandre Ayton out, Porzingis has an opportunity to dominate the low post while stretching the floor for Dallas as well.
Dallas Mavericks Predicted Lineup
G - Luka Doncic | G - Jalen Brunson | F - Dorian Finney-Smith | F - Maxi Kleber | C - Kristaps Porzingis
Suns vs Mavericks Match Predictions
The Phoenix Suns vs Dallas Mavericks matchup is one of the marquee matchups for Thursday night. With the best in the West facing off against a playoff contender, the matchup promises to be an exciting showcase.
Although the Mavericks enjoy homecourt advantage for this game, they may face some fatigue as they face the Suns on the second night of a back-to-back. While this is something Phoenix can exploit, the absence of Deandre Ayton also poses a setback against the bigger Dallas lineup.
With both teams facing roadblocks in the game, it could swing either way. However, with the Suns being one of the best teams at executing schemes, they may be slightly favored to win this matchup.
Where to watch Suns vs Mavericks game?
The Phoenix Suns vs Dallas Mavericks game will be broadcast nationally on TNT. The game will be locally broadcast on Bally Sports Southwest as well. The game will also be available on the NBA’s League Pass platform. Fans can also listen to the game by tuning into 97.1 The Eagle.
