PHOENIX –For the second time in three days, the Dallas Mavericks will play the Suns in Phoenix. And after letting Wednesday’s game get away down the stretch, the Mavs will try to square this two-game set before moving on to play a pair of road games against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Mavs may again be playing without their best player as point guard Luka Doncic is listed as doubtful for tonight’s contest. Doncic sat out Wednesday’s contest with a sprained left ankle and a sprained left knee that he sustained with 44 seconds remaining in Monday’s 10-point win over the Denver Nuggets.
Doncic’s absence took some of the luster from this highly-anticipated nationally televised matchup between two of the best teams the Western Conference has to offer. The Suns have won 10 straight games while the Mavs have won five of their last seven games.
PREVIEW
MAVERICKS (9-5) AT PHOENIX SUNS (11-3)
Time: 9 p.m.
Place: Footprint Center, Phoenix
TV: BSSW, ESPN
Radio: The Eagle, 97.1 FM; Univision 99.1 FM (Spanish)
About the Mavericks: The Mavs get another crack at the Suns after losing a close (105-98) battle Wednesday. It was a game where the Mavs led about 90 percent of the time, including 65-57 late in the third quarter. But after Phoenix combined to score just 43 points in the second and third quarters, the Suns erupted for 37 in the fourth quarter. The game was tied at 96 with 2:42 remaining, and the Suns outscored the Mavs, 9-2, the rest of the way. Down the stretch, the Mavs were just 1-of-4 from the field – two of those misses were from point-blank range — with two turnovers. Tim Hardaway Jr. (22 points), Kristaps Porzingis (21 points, eight rebounds, a career-high seven assists, two blocks) and Jalen Brunson (18 points, nine rebounds, nine assists) led the way for the Mavs, who also got 13 points from Frank Ntilikina and 10 from Trey Burke. . .Superstar point guard Luka Doncic is listed as doubtful with sprains in his left knee and left ankle. Doncic sustained the injuries during Monday’s 111-101 win over the Denver Nuggets, and it forced him to sit out the Wednesday contest against the Suns. . .Maxi Kleber will miss his ninth straight game tonight with a left oblique strain. . .After tonight, the Mavs will fly to Los Angeles where they’ll play a pair of games against the Clippers – Sunday at 2:30 p.m. and Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. . .The Mavs are in the first place in the Southwest Division and have the fourth-best record in the Western Conference.
About the Suns: As of now, the only team in the NBA with a better record than the Suns are the Golden State Warriors, who are 13-2 and just one-and-a-half games ahead of Phoenix. . .With Wednesday’s win over Dallas, the Suns have now won 10 consecutive games. It’s their longest winning streak since the 2009-10 season, and it’s also the longest winning streak for any team in the NBA this season. . .Devin Booker topped all scorers Wednesday with 24 points, Deandre Ayton finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds, Jae Crowder tallied 14 points, Landry Shamet poured in 11 points, and Mikal Bridges and JaVale McGee each added 10 points. Booker’s three-pointer was the dagger that put the Suns up, 103-96 with 50.2 seconds left. . .Chris Paul was held to just seven points on 2-of-12 shooting on Wednesday, but he did distribute a game-high 14 assists. Half of Paul’s assists came in the fourth quarter, including one where he was falling out of bounds before saving it into the hands of Ayton for a crucial dunk and a 100-96 lead for the Suns with 1:27 remaining. Paul missed his first nine field goal attempts. . .The double-double by Ayton was his 100th in 186 career games. That’s the fastest any player has reached 100 double-doubles in the Suns’ history. . .There were only nine fouls called against the Suns in Wednesday’s game, and the Mavs converted all six of their free throw attempts.
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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