The NBA always puts together some marquee matchups during opening week and boy do we have a good one on Wednesday night!
The Dallas Mavericks, fresh off their run to the Western Conference Finals last season will travel to the desert to take on the Phoenix Suns, not only the team that finished with the best record in the league a season ago, but the team that Dallas defeated in seven games to advance to the Western Conference Finals!
Seeing themselves up 3-2 on the Mavericks in their Western Conference Semifinals series, everyone thought that this series was over and that the Suns would advance to take on the Golden State Warriors, but Dallas went on to outscore Phoenix by 27 points in Game 6. and then they dismantled them in Game 7, outscoring Phoenix by 33 points in Phoenix!
A new rivalry in the NBA has been created simply due to a playoff series and as of right now, Luka Doncic and the Mavericks already have the bragging rights over Devin Booker and the Suns after what happened just a few months back.
Can the Suns, who are now without veteran Jae Crowder, best the Mavericks, who added Christian Wood and JaVale McGee this offseason, in this opening week matchup of powerhouse teams in the Western Conference?
The 2022-23 NBA season is about to begin and here is how to watch Wednesday’s game with gametimes and TV, lineups, bios and other must-know details.
How to watch Mavericks vs. Suns
- WHO: Dallas Mavericks (0-0) vs. Phoenix Suns (0-0)
- WHEN: 10:00 pm ET, Wednesday, October 19, 2022
- WHERE: Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona
- TV: ESPN
- Stream: Fubo.tv CLICK HERE
Key Stats & Facts For Mavericks vs. Suns
- The Phoenix Suns had their best season in franchise history with a 64-18 record a season ago and they held the best record in the league during the 2021-22 season.
- The Dallas Mavericks finished last season with a 52-30 record and they went all the way to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2011.
- Dallas defeated Phoenix 4-3 in the Western Conference Semifinals a season ago.
- The Suns are 19-10 all-time at home in season openers.
- The Mavericks are 9-11 all-time on the road in season openers.
- Phoenix swept Dallas in three regular season matchups a season ago, outscoring the Mavericks by 23 total points.
Last Matchup:
January 20, 2022 – Suns 109, Mavericks 101
Going to Dallas in their final regular season meeting of the year, Devin Booker (28 points) and Chris Paul (20 points) led the Suns past the Mavericks. Despite 28 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists from Luka Doncic, the Mavs turned the ball over 19 total times in this game and could not get into a rhythm near the end of the game to pull out a win. Phoenix outscored Dallas 35-19 in the fourth quarter of this game.
Latest Injury News:
Mavericks: Davis Bertans (knee) – OUT, Frank Ntilikina (ankle) – OUT, Maxi Kleber (illness) – QUESTIONABLE
Suns: Jae Crowder (not with team) – OUT, Landry Shamet (hip) – OUT
Projected Starters:
PROJECTED MAVERICKS STARTERS (2021-22 Regular Season Stats):
- G Luka Doncic6-foot-7 guard: 28.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 9.1 assists
- G Spencer Dinwiddie6-5 guard: 13.7 points, 5.2 assists
- F Reggie Bullock6-6 forward: 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds
- F Dorian Finney-Smith6-7 forward: 11.0 points, 4.7 rebounds
- C JaVale McGee7-0 center: 9.2 points, 6.7 rebounds
PROJECTED SUNS STARTERS (2021-22 Regular Season Stats):
- G Chris Paul6-0 guard: 14.7 points, 10.8 assists
- G Devin Booker6-5 guard: 26.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists
- F Mikal Bridges6-6 forward: 14.2 points, 4.2 rebounds
- F Cam Johnson6-8 forward: 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds
- C Deandre Ayton6-11 center: 17.2 points, 10.2 rebounds
Betting Odds:
- The Suns are currently 4.5-point favorites over the Mavericks as of Wednesday morning, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
- The over/under for this matchup is currently set at 216 total points.
What to watch for:
- Suns’ Devin Booker (26.8 points per game) ranked eighth in the league a season ago in points per game.
- Phoenix was one of five teams to rank inside the Top-10 in both offensive and defensive rating a season ago.
- The Suns are 94-74 all-time against the Mavericks.
- The Mavericks only surrendered an average of 104.7 points per game to their opponents during the 2021-22 season, as the Suns scored an average of 114.8 points per game.
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