Mavericks vs Suns

Can Dallas really upset Phoenix? Breaking down how Jason Kidd's small-ball approach has the team on the verge of advancing to the conference finals.

They’ve found a winning rotation, and if you haven’t noticed, they have the best player in the series by a marked margin. The Mavericks are getting to the rim and creating open triples at will. Yet despite the home court, I have a creeping feeling we’re headed toward a potential upset to close out the weekend. Dallas finished 20th in defensive rating last season, surrendering 126 points in a Game 7 loss to the Clippers in a first-round matchup. Booker coughed up eight turnovers in Game 6–the Suns recorded 22 in total–and Phoenix was outscored by 30 points at the three-point line. Dwight Powell is now the only true rim runner in the rotation, and every non-Powell lineup pairs Luka Dončić with a quartet of spacers or secondary ball-handlers.

Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic, fueled by the Suns' trash talk in the previous game, led Dallas to a 113-86 Game 6 victory Thursday night, the first time ...

Each game is a personality of its own, and now it's down to one game, Game 7." "Just because you have home court doesn't guarantee you're going to win the game, but we'd rather play at home than play here. He's going to hold us down on the offensive end and give us his best on the defensive end." He had 46 points and 14 assists against the Clippers -- creating 77 points, the most all time in a Game 7, according to Elias Sports Bureau research -- but the Mavs still suffered a lopsided loss. They're going to do the same thing to him -- bring him up in every pick-and-roll -- but when he gets the switch, it's a bucket every time. "Elimination is I guess the word that you guys use, but it's just another game for us on this journey, and our journey is to win a championship," Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. The statistics don't really matter to me, but if we win, it's going to be amazing. This will be the first Game 7 of Booker's career. I don't know about the switches with him [on defense] to get a bucket every time. But Doncic has shined brightly in each of his opportunities on that stage despite losing to the LA Clippers the previous two postseasons, averaging 39 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists in three win-or-go-home games. "And it wasn't like that tonight. A series that has been quite chippy despite not featuring any close games will be decided in Sunday's Game 7 back at the Footprint Center in Phoenix.

The Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns face off on Sunday at the Footprint Center in Phoenix in Game 7 of their NBA Playoffs series.

Warriors vs. Mavs vs. Celtics vs. Warriors vs. Mavs vs. Celtics vs. - 76ers vs. - 76ers vs. There wasn’t a single close game in this series since the start of it, mostly because of the home crowd and all that comes with it. Game 5 was a Dallas dud, and the reason the game ended under this total. They'll win in the paint, on the glass, and likely keep the free-throw shooting ratio in their favor a bit more than Game 6. Other than that, the other two contests in Phoenix were free-flowing with plenty of offense.

Check out the preview for Game 7 of the Western conference semis between the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns with odds, head to head and predictions.

The Mavs responded in the next two held in Texas, 103-94 and 111-101. There wasn’t a single close game in this series since the start of it, mostly because of the home crowd and all that comes with it. The Suns clinched the opening two events of the series, 121-114 and 129-109. The bench scored 17 points combined, and they too couldn’t do anything to prevent the disaster. The Phoenix Suns host the Dallas Mavericks in Game 7 of the West semifinals. Phoenix Suns (TBA) suffered a KO in Texas. They shot 39.7% from the field, had only six threes and committed 22 turnovers.

The Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns will play a decisive Game 7 at either 2:30 or 7 p.m. Sunday in Phoenix.

Suns color analyst and long-time NBA player Eddie Johnson took a shot at NBA commentator Nick Wright on Twitter after Wright suggested Doncic is the better player. “What is wrong with you little guy? Doncic has needed just 22 to claim the franchise record. “I like when people trash talk to me. Doncic had 42 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds that night and shot 50% from the field. Doncic’s performance in Thursday’s elimination game was the stuff of legend.

The Celtics and Grizzlies will be looking to pick up wins on Friday night in the hopes of sending their respective Conference Semifinals to a seventh and ...

The Suns are currently six-point favorites in Game 7, per BetOnline.ag, but if Doncic has another huge game and Booker and Paul aren’t at their best, there’s not a ton of room for error. Still, they’ll be coming off their worst performance of the series, a 29-point blowout loss in Game 6. The Celtics and Grizzlies will be looking to pick up wins on Friday night in the hopes of sending their respective Conference Semifinals to a seventh and deciding game.

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Phoenix Suns 113-86 in Game 6 of their Western Conference Semifinals series on Thursday to force a decisive Game 7 in ...

Not only did this result in Dallas taking advantage of the Suns defensively, but it also resulted in Phoenix having careless turnovers possession after possession. Phoenix made it to the NBA Finals last season because they took care of the basketball and had Chris Paul initiating their offense. Frustrations have set in for Phoenix and this was very apparent on Thursday night in Dallas. Having one last home game, Phoenix is going to be very confident, but they should absolutely be concerned after what Dallas did in Game 6. Normally the most poised team in the league, the Suns have shown signs of cracking in their mentality in this series and they have really struggled on the road as a result. Compared to shooting 54.3% from the floor and 42.4% from three-point range at home, the Suns have shot just 43.7% from the floor and 39.4% from three-point range on the road in this series.

Dallas heads to Phoenix for Game 7 of their western conference semifinals matchup. Here is the Mavs X-factor.

In the short term, the Mavs must rely on Ntilikina to continue making an impact for them. The changes that the Mavs have made in the series have been the most notable on the defensive side of the ball. He may not be living up to the early expectations of his career but reinventing himself as a defensive specialist could still produce an effective career. Dallas also forced 22 turnovers in Game 6 which is the most the Suns have coughed up all season. It will all come down to Game 7 in Phoenix. It is clear Luka Doncic is the most important player for the Mavericks. He is leading the NBA in scoring this postseason at 31.1 points per game. The team stormed back in the matchup with the Suns to tie the series 3-3.

Dallas Mavericks vs Phoenix Suns prediction, odds & best bet to make for Game 7 of ...

The Phoenix Suns will host Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Dallas Mavericks at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.

The Suns also hosted Game 7 in the first round of the 2006 playoffs, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers, 121-90. It is the first Game 7 the Suns have hosted since 2006 when Phoenix beat the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference semifinals, 127-107. Game time was not determined until the result of Game 6 of the series between the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics.

Phoenix is set to host Game 7 vs the Mavericks Saturday night. Here are our three bold predictions for the Suns.

Since Ntilikina entered the the rotation, Paul and Booker are a combined 3-for-40 from the floor. For the first time this series, it should come down to the very end. That came on the heels of a fantastic Game 2 performance when he dropped 28 points on 11-for-16 shooting. In the Suns three home wins this series, Booker is averaging 27 points per game on 49 percent shooting. Well, the budding rivalry between the Suns shooting guard and Doncic is going to get a massive shove Saturday night. One key difference since that point is the Mavs coach, Jason Kidd, has put Reggie Bullock on Paul. There are numerous factors that have led to the Suns losing three of the last four games in this series, and they need to be rectified. It would be smart for Suns coach Monty Williams to take the ball out of Doncic’s hands and force others to beat them. Did you see the smile from Suns superstar Devin Booker when he talked about playing in his first Game 7? But I have seen nothing from Booker that leads me to believe he will shrink in this moment. On the other side, Mavs superstar Luka Doncic is proving why he is considered one of the best basketball players in the world. The Phoenix Suns Western Conference Semifinals series against the Dallas Mavericks has been much more difficult than most expected it to be.

The Phoenix Suns face the Dallas Mavericks at 5 p.m. Sunday on TNT. It's can't miss. Can Devin Booker and Chris Paul get it going? Will Luka Dončić?

This is not to say the NBA Playoffs should go back the the bad old days of the Detroit Pistons mugging whoever they played. But the officiating is bad drama, real “Manimal” type stuff. But no matter who you’re rooting for, the real absurdity is how players who get a light smack act like they’ve been hit with a sledgehammer. Which is what makes this not only great TV, but — obvious alert — the most important game of the Suns’ season. You just know something good is going to happen. You can pretty much always be confident that Dallas’ Luka Dončić is going to do something good every time he has the ball. Following the Suns in their championship bid? You can be supremely confident that if something good doesn’t happen, he’s going to complain about it. Speaking of whiners, the way NBA basketball is currently officiated really plays into their hands. Because if they don’t win this one, it’s the last game of their season. The Suns and Mavericks meet Sunday at 5 p.m. for Game 7 of their second-round NBA playoff series. The home team has won every game, often by a lot.

The Dallas Mavericks' series against the Phoenix Suns changed when Frank Ntilikina entered the rotation.

When he hasn't been in the games this series, the Mavs have given up 116.5 points per 100 possession, whereas they've only given up 101.5 with him thrown into the action. As much as the Mavs would like second-year guard Josh Green to be ready for the moment, he just simply isn't there yet. especially from unsung hero Ntilikina with how he's guarded the Suns' best player. In the points per 100 possessions category, the Mavs' defense has been a full 15 points better with Ntilikina on the floor vs. "I like it,'' said Doncic, "when people trash-talk to me. "Games 3, 4 and 6 have been similar.