The Dallas Mavericks took a humble pie to the face in Game 1, as the Phoenix Suns absolutely dominated them on both ends of the court. But will the Mavs bounce back to steal Game 2 before heading back to Texas for Game 3?
Catch this game live on Thursday, May, at 10 AM, Manila time
Away: Dallas Mavericks (0-1/0-1 Away)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Luka Doncic
- SG: Jalen Brunson
- SF: Reggie Bullock
- PF: Dorian Finney-Smith
- C: Dwight Powell
A 45-point explosion from Luka Doncic was not enough for the Mavs to overcome the defending Western Conference champions in Game 1. Still, that’s a great start for Doncic, who’s probably more confident that he can take on Phoenix’s defense. Doncic is a constant for the Mavs, so it’ll be up to his supporting cast to keep up with him. Jalen Brunson only had 13 points on 6/16 shooting in Game 1, though he had difficulties establishing a rhythm because of foul trouble. Spencer Dinwiddie also looked out of sorts in the series opener, scoring just 8 points on 3/8 shooting from the floor.
Hitting the reset button for Game 2 should have both Brunson and Dinwiddie coming up with better performances this Thursday. Meanwhile, Maxi Kleber was a bright spot for the Mavs in Game 1. He put up 19 points with 6 threes on 9 attempts. Kleber has been fantastic from deep in the playoffs, and he’ll continue to be a reliable scoring option for the Mavs, who are knocking down 15.6 threes on 37.6 3FG% so far in this postseason.
Dallas enters Game 2 with a 5-1 ATS record in its last six outings.
Home: Phoenix Suns (1-0/1-0 Home)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Chris Paul
- SG: Devin Booker
- SF: Mikal Bridges
- PF: Jae Crowder
- C: Deandre Ayton
The Suns didn’t have much problem breaking down Dallas’ renowned defense in Game 1. Phoenix exploited the Mavericks’ lack of rim protection, with Deandre Ayton having a field day in the paint. Ayton poured in 25 points on 12/20 shooting to go with 8 rebounds in 33 minutes. Devin Booker and Chris Paul had their way offensively as well, scoring 23 and 10 points, respectively, while combining for 14 rebounds and 11 assists.
So long as the Mavs don’t come up with an answer to Ayton, the Suns will continue to have a party on offense. Phoenix’s success in the paint in Game 1 was also a product of the Suns’ excellent outside shooting, as the Suns went 11/28 (39.3 3FG%) from behind the arc, thus making it tough for the Mavs to put an extra body on Ayton. Through the first seven games of the playoffs, the Suns are scoring 51.8 points in the paint per 100 possessions – second-most in the postseason to date.
PREDICTIONS:
Spread: The Suns continue to dominate Dallas’ defense. Taking Phoenix to cover (-6.5).
Over/Under: Taking the total to hit the Under (215.5)
