Game Preview: The Suns look to make it 7th in a row against the Mavs

by Junna Base November 9, 2024

WHO: Phoenix Suns (7-1) vs. Dallas Mavericks (5-3)

When: 5:30 p.m. Arizona time

Where: American Airlines Center – Dallas, Texas

Regard: ESPN, Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports

Hear: KMVP 98.7

The Phoenix Suns are looking for their seventh straight win. What a time to be alive.

They didn’t make it easy for themselves, with several come-from-behind victories and heroic performances from their stars at the crucial time to close out the games. Their 6-0 record in clutch times this season shows that they are everything last year’s Suns were not in those moments. The early combat tests should only benefit them in the long run as they continue to build chemistry.

Kevin Durant said: “We had a lot of close games. I’m sure Suns fans are nervous every game, but I think it’s good for our team that we get to experience these games in the fourth quarter and get an understanding of what it’s like in crunch time. “

They face a strong Dallas team in a difficult environment at the American Airlines Center. The Mavs won their last game against Chicago, led by their superstar Luka Doncic with 27 points and 13 assists.

Phoenix beat the same Mavericks team 114-102 at the Footprint Center earlier this season. Durant had 31 in the win. Despite the loss, Doncic had 40 points and his backcourt mates Kyrie Irving (22) and Klay Thompson (19) combined for 41 points.

Likely starters

Injury report

Suns

Bradley Beal – PROBABLY (right elbow pain)
Ryan Dunn – doubtful (ankle)

Mavs

Dereck Lively II – OUT (shoulder)
Maxi Glue – OFF (thigh)
PJ Washington – OUT (knee)
Dante Exum – OUT (wrist)

Uniform matchup

What you should pay attention to

The Big 3 battle

Dallas has its own “Big 3” with Kyrie, Klay and Luka. In their last meeting against the Suns, this trio combined for 81 points and made 12 three-pointers. The rest of the Mavericks combined to score just 21 points on 9 of 30 shooting (30%). For those tracking at home, *checking notes* is not good! Well, for the Suns it is. Let’s hope this happens again.

Phoenix, meanwhile, had Bradley Beal behind him and had six players score 8 or more points, including 31 from Kevin Durant. Ryan Dunn gave them some excellent minutes on the night, scoring 13 points in place of Beal.

With Beal listed as likely, they need to step him up, especially on defense, where he has made major strides this season. Also, I’m here for the fight between Buch and Klay. They’re always fun.

“The Others”

Dallas will lose some key players in Dante Exum, Dereck Lively II, Maxi Kleber and PJ Washington. The Suns won’t have rookie Ryan Dunn, which is a tough blow for a team that has struggled to disrupt Luka Doncic.

Phoenix should stick to the same game plan and invite the role players to defeat them. Dallas had 22 assists, Phoenix 26 and was caught in iso ball several times, which slowed the momentum.

Phoenix’s role players simply need to hit the road. I believe the stars will be stars on each side, but the game will be decided by which trio of teams gets the most help, particularly from the three-point line and the defensive side of the ball. Who will do some plays?

Nurkic vs Gafford

Jusuf Nurkic had his Now Second-best game of the young season (after his last appearance) against the Mavs with 18 points, 14 rebounds and a block in 30 minutes on 7 of 12 shots. He will look to put together a strong game and boost his confidence against a team he has already played well against this season.

Gafford saw just 18 minutes and Lively got 21 minutes as they searched for answers to slow Nurkic and the Suns inside. With Lively out tonight, it will be an exciting matchup to watch. Dallas doesn’t have many big players, especially with Kleber, Washington and Lively all in the mix.

Phoenix didn’t necessarily have a standout game in their last meeting, but they were solid in all four quarters and did enough to extend their lead quarter after quarter heading into the fourth quarter. Let’s hope they do that again.