The Dallas Mavericks dominated the Phoenix Suns to earn their first win of the West Semifinals series. That win cut the Suns’ series lead into half. The Suns now lead 2-1 in the series and would love to escape Dallas with a victory in tonight’s matchup before heading back home.
Phoenix Suns vs. Dallas Mavericks
Sunday, May 8, 2022 – 03:30 PM EDT at American Airlines Center
The Mavs
In Game 3, the Mavericks defended very well inside the arc. Phoenix shot 46.4% from deep but just 44.7% from inside the arc. Phoenix, however, still earned nine more rebounds in this game and had more offensive rebounds. Shots just didn’t fall inside the arc.
Dallas didn’t have so much success either. The offense shot 44.4% from the field but had 14 more shot attempts to show for it. That happened because the Suns uncharacteristically turned the ball over 17 times while Dallas only turned the ball over eight times.
On top of that, Dallas scored 18 more points inside the paint in comparison to Phoenix and that also helped Dallas escape with their first win of the series.
But the big question is whether or not Dallas can continue to defend at a high rate inside. After all, Phoenix had no problems scoring from the perimeter. The Suns also aren’t going to turn the ball over as much as they did in Game 3. It’s just not what the Suns usually do, especially when they’ve got a reliable point guard in Chris Paul.
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In Game 3, only Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson really stepped up. Both of those two players averaged more than half of the Mavericks’ points in that game.
The Suns
The Suns are normally the team that dominates inside. We even saw it in the first two games with DeAndre Ayton scoring almost every time in the post.
The Suns didn’t get much production from their bench and no player ended up scoring 20 or more points in the game. Whether it’s Devin Booker, Chris Paul, or Ayton, someone is going to step up and helps the Suns stick around in Game 4.
Prediction
That’s why I’ll bet on the Suns in Game 4. The Mavericks shot the same percentage as Phoenix, lost the rebounding battle by nine but earned nine more rebounds, and added nine more turnovers.
The Suns will be more careful with the ball and overall, I’d still expect Phoenix to be the better team inside the arc. As long as the Suns limit turnovers, Phoenix will be just fine in this game, on the road. With a win, the Suns will get to come back home and get that final series win to move on into the Western Conference Championship.
Back the Suns on the road for Game 4. They won 64 games during the regular season and are now fully healthy. Don't forget to place your bets at a top-rated sportsbook.
NBA Pick: Suns (-125) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
