Game Preview: Suns travel to Dallas looking for second straight win

What: Phoenix Suns (9-8) @ Dallas Mavericks (8-11)

When: 7 p.m. MST

Where: Dallas, Texas

Watch: FSAZ

Listen: 98.7 FM

Spread: Mavs favored by 1.5

The Suns are coming off a much needed win on TNT against Golden State without Devin Booker. This will be the 3rd game in four days for both teams and the second of a back-to-back for Dallas after getting handled by the Jazz on ESPN last night.

The Mavericks have lost four straight games and sit at 8-11 which gives the Suns a perfect opportunity to create some separation between them with a win. The Suns will also play them on again on Monday so they have a real chance to bury them with a pair of wins.

It could be tough without Devin Booker and their best two bench pieces in Dario Saric and Cam Payne. Both teams have been struggling and shorthanded throughout the year due to injuries and COVID protocols, so these games will be vital for confidence building purposes.

Injury Report

Suns: Devin Booker OUT, Dario Saric OUT, Cam Payne OUT, Damian Jones OUT.

Mavs: Maxi Kleber OUT

Projected Starting Lineups

Suns: Chris Paul, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, Deandre Ayton.

Mavs: Luka Doncic, Josh Richardson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Dorian Finney-Smith, Kristaps Porzingis.

Key Matchup

Mikal Bridges vs. Luka Doncic

Mikal has always done a great job of making Luka uncomfortable on the perimeter, so it will be vital for him to stay out of foul trouble in this contest. Luka is a master at drawing fouls, and Rick Carlisle will surely make it a priority to get Bridges in foul trouble so he has to be smart.

Deandre Ayton has always played well against Dallas, and they’ll need that to continue against a team that has been getting obliterated in the paint. A heavy dose of a CP3/Ayton two man game in the pick and roll would ideal after seeing how Porzingis has defended the P&R this season.

Abdel Nader and Frank Kaminsky stepped up in a big way against the Warriors, and they’ll need at least one of the two to pick up where they left off with how depleted their bench will be.

Both of these teams love to spread the floor and shoot a ton of threes so the true deciding factor could just simply come down to which team gets hot from deep. The Suns have a trio of streaky shooters in Jae Crowder, Cam Johnson and Langston Galloway while Dallas has a pair in Dorian Finney-Smith and Tim Hardaway Jr.

Here’s a quick peek at how bad things have been in Dallas:

Prediction

Suns 109 - Mavs 104

What do you think will be the key to securing a victory tonight, Suns fans?