Mavericks vs. Suns Odds, Preview, and Prediction for Friday, November 19th
Mavericks vs. Suns Odds
| Mavericks Odds | +8.5 |
| Suns Odds | -8.5 |
| Over/Under | 211.5 |
| Date | Friday, Nov. 19 |
| Time | 10:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
On Friday evening, the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns will battle at the Footprint Center. The Mavericks enter play having won five of their last seven contests, but they will once again be without Luka Doncic for tonight’s contest. Phoenix enters this matchup on an NBA-best 10-game winning streak, but will be playing their fourth game in six nights in this one. Oddsmakers anticipate a relatively easy win for the Suns in this affair, pricing Phoenix as nine-point home favorites on the spread.
Let’s take a closer look at Mavericks vs. Suns odds and NBA betting tips for tonight’s matchup on NBA TV.
Dallas Mavericks (+8.5)
Dallas has won nine of their first 14 games this fall, but their record is slightly misleading to the casual sports bettor. Excluding garbage time, Dallas ranks only 16th in offensive efficiency and 18th in defensive efficiency, per Cleaning the Glass. Life is likely to be even more difficult for the Mavericks this evening without their best player, Doncic in the lineup.
Doncic is leading Dallas in scoring, rebounding, and passing—averaging 24.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per night. In his absence, Kristaps Porzingis, Jalen Brunson, and Tim Hardaway Jr. are going to be expected to take on the extra load. Porzingis has played in only nine games this season, but has been sharp, posting season averages of 19.4 points and 7.9 rebounds when he has been on the floor. Brunson has been phenomenal, contributing 15.3 points off of the bench this year. On Wednesday against the Suns, Porzingis, Brunson, and Hardaway Jr. combined for 61 points on 24-for-61 shooting from the floor in a losing effort.
When Porzingis, Brunson, and Hardaway have been on the floor together this season, Dallas has struggled to generate much offensive success inside the three-point line—shooting only 41.3 percent on mid-range shots, and only 62.0 percent at the rim, which ranks in the 37th percentile in the league. The Suns rank only 17th in the NBA defending the perimeter so far this season, but Phoenix held their opponents to a stifling 35.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc in a larger sample size last year. It could be difficult for Dallas to score points tonight in the desert. Two days ago, Dallas shot 50.0 percent from beyond the arc, but only 37.2 percent from inside the arc. It will be difficult for the Mavericks to shoot the ball so well from the perimeter again in this one. Expect regression to lead to another loss in this one.
Phoenix Suns (-8.5)
Phoenix’s most common starting lineup, featuring Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, and Deandre Ayton, is arguably the best starting five in the entire NBA. This is hardly a bold take after this group emerged as Western Conference Champions in last year’s postseason, and even less of a bold take after this group has posted 10 consecutive victories. Still, there are more than a few pundits that remain skeptical of this team’s ability to challenge some of the elite teams in the NBA in what is being deemed as a more “normal” season compared to last year.
Through the first month of the regular season, Phoenix is one of only four teams in the league with 11 or more wins. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Suns rank seventh in effective field goal percentage on the offensive end of the floor. They also own the fifth-best defensive efficiency in the NBA. Part of what makes this team so dangerous is that they do not rely exclusively on one or two players to win games on a nightly basis.
In Wednesday’s win against the Mavericks, six players scored in double-figures. Booker has been solid to start the year, averaging 23.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.1 assists. Yet, he has not played to his expectations, as he is only shooting 43.9 percent from the floor and 36.9 percent from beyond the arc. Ayton is averaging a double-double, but has only played eight games due to injury. Paul is leading the NBA in assists per night (10.5), but lacks the ability to single-handedly put away an opponent with his shot. Instead, this team has 10 different players, who are averaging at least 7.1 points per game and playing 16.7 minutes or more. An abundance of depth and impressive team chemistry is what makes Phoenix extremely difficult to beat on a nightly basis. Even having this be their fourth game in six nights, this is a team capable of putting together a dominant showing on national television.
Mavericks vs. Suns Picks
On Wednesday, we bet the Suns to cover the spread, but they were one basket short of delivering a win for bettors. Still, Phoenix won by seven points on a night that they allowed Dallas to shoot 50.0 percent from beyond the arc. The Suns also had a rough night on the offensive end of the floor, shooting only 44.1 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from deep. Expect regression to the mean for both of these teams tonight, and for Phoenix to put together a more complete performance in a dominant win.
PICK: Suns -8.5 (-110)
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