Mavs-Suns preview: Two teams fighting for one spot

The last time the Mavericks and Phoenix Suns met it was Dec. 27, the first game that Luka Doncic missed after his calf injury on Christmas.

Things have changed a bit since then.

Nobody knew then that Doncic would never again play for the Mavericks, ultimately being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Nor could they know that both teams would be well below .500 since then (12-21 for the Mavericks, 14-19 for the Suns).

The Mavericks and Suns now are stuck in a battle to see who will qualify for the play-in tournament among teams seeded seventh through 10^th in each conference. One will make it. The other won’t.

The Mavericks have a two-game lead in the loss column, but the race could come down in April to who owns the tiebreaker. Right now, the Suns have won two of three over the Mavericks. Sunday’s matinee will be the Mavericks’ chance to level the head-to-head ledger and also put the Suns in a serious hole with only 17 games left for the Mavericks after Sunday.

It wouldn’t punch their ticket to a Game 83 this season, but it would put them in control of things.

But the same problem for the Mavericks that’s shackled them for the last week continues to make life miserable for them.

They barely have enough players to qualify for games. The NBA requires eight to suit up and the Mavericks have been on the borderline a couple of times.

They got some help when Caleb Martin made his Mavericks’ debut on Friday against Memphis. That gave them nine players in uniform, although two of them, Dante Exum and Dwight Powell were playing on restricted minutes.

That’s life for the Mavericks right now. They have more players out or questionable than they do healthy (see below). But they have remained competitive. The question now is whether they can win games that they are supposed to win.

Here’s what else to look for as the Suns invade American Airlines Center:

• The Suns are coming off a rough overtime loss at Denver on Friday night. They got to the extra period tied at 125 and then were outscored 24-16 in the five extra minutes. The Suns’ defense was torched as Denver shot 59 percent from the field and 52.5 percent from three-point land. The Nuggets had a ridiculous 45 assists, 22 of them from Nikola Jokic.
• Devin Booker had 34 points and Kevin Durant fired in 29.
• A month ago, the Suns were above .500 at 26-25, but have gone 3-9 since. This will be the second of a four-game trip that moves along to Memphis and Houston.
• The Mavericks are listing Dante Exum and Caleb Martin as questionable. Everybody else on the injured list is out: Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, Kyrie Irving, Kai Jones, Jaden Hardy, P.J. Washington and Olivier-Maxence Prosper.
• With all the absentees, there are ample opportunities for others. Brandon Williams responded with a career-best 31 points against the Grizzlies. Naji Marshall had 29 points and 17 rebounds (both career highs). However, in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks shot just 5-of-21 (23.8 percent) and were outscored 33-17.
• After Sunday, the Mavericks head to San Antonio for a pair of games against the Spurs on Monday and Wednesday.

PHOENIX SUNS (29-34) at DALLAS MAVERICKS (32-32)

WHEN: 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

WHERE: American Airlines Center, Dallas.

TV: ABC

RADIO: KEGL 97.1 FM, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

X: @ESefko