Dallas Mavericks vs Phoenix Suns 11/17/21: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Live Stream

Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns Matchup Preview (11/17/21)

On November 17th, the Luka-less Mavericks will make a trip out west to take on the Phoenix Suns for the second of a two-game slate televised on ESPN. These teams are on fire right now: Phoenix has won nine straight games, while Dallas has won five of its past six. The Suns started the 2021-22 season very lackadaisical, losing three of their first four games. Since then, they have been virtually unstoppable and certainly resemble the team that just came off an NBA Finals appearance. While Devin Booker has struggled at times offensively, Phoenix has plenty of players who have been picking up the slack, including Chris Paul, Mikal Bridges, Deandre Ayton, Cameron Payne, Jae Crowder, and even Frank Kaminsky, at times. The Mavericks have also been red-hot recently, largely due to the stellar play of Kristaps Porzingis, who has averaged 23.2 points and nine rebounds since returning from his back injury in early November. Porzingis may be the deciding factor in how far the Mavs go this year, largely because they really struggle at times with scoring outside of Luka Doncic, who will actually not be available for this matchup.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns Betting Odds

There are no odds out yet for this game, as they will likely be released later tonight or first thing in the morning. However, there is little doubt that Phoenix will be favored, especially at home against the Dallas Mavericks.

For this matchup, Luka Doncic and Maxi Kleber will both be unavailable to play due to injuries. Dallas has struggled a bit this year with keeping Kristaps Porzingis on the floor, but it looks like now he is good to go, especially after he has been lighting it up in his past few games. Porzingis could be the deciding factor in the spread; if he keeps playing at the current level, the Mavs could cover the spread but are unlikely to win without Doncic. However, if Porzingis has an “off night,” then Phoenix should win fairly comfortably.

I would heavily lean towards the Phoenix Suns to win at home and cover the spread. The Suns have looked unbelievable after they got the first couple of games of the season out of the way. Dallas will likely struggle to keep up with Phoenix in terms of scoring as the Suns have averaged 113.1 points during their winning streak while only allowing just over 100. Additionally, Luka Doncic will be out for this game, and there will be a serious learning curve for the Mavericks offensively without him. While the Mavericks have been solid, I think the hot streak indicates who they are playing more than how well they are playing. They also may struggle to put up 100 points without Luka running the offense. Take Phoenix against the spread.

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TV Schedule

Date: 11/17/21
Time: 10:00 PM ET
Arena: Footprint Center – Phoenix, AZ
Channel: ESPN

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Dallas Mavericks Starting Lineup

PG: Jalen Brunson
SG: Tim Hardaway Jr.
SF: Dorian Finney-Smith
PF: Kristaps Porzingis
C: Dwight Powell

Dallas Mavericks Analysis

The Mavericks have looked terrific since Kristaps Porzingis returned from his back injury in early November. Porzingis started the season slow in his first three games but has looked like a much-improved player since then. Meanwhile, Luka Doncic has had some big games this season but still is having somewhat of a down year compared to his prior two seasons. Doncic has not been too efficient from the floor or behind the arc, but he should get hot at any time. Unfortunately for the Mavs, Luka will not be available in this game due to an ankle injury. To keep its momentum, Dallas will have to get more from role players like Dorian Finney-Smith and Dwight Powell. It also should rely heavily on Jalen Brunson while Doncic is out as he is one of the best players on their team. In the two games where he has started, he has been phenomenal.

Phoenix Suns Starting Lineup

PG: Chris Paul
SG: Devin Booker
SF: Mikal Bridges
PF: Jae Crowder
C: Deandre Ayton

Phoenix Suns Analysis

Phoenix looked terrible at the beginning of the season, going merely 1-3 in its first four games. This could be partly attributed to the chaos within the organization at the time, between the struggle with Deandre Ayton’s contract extension and the allegations against Suns’ owner, Robert Sarver. Still, the Suns picked themselves up and found their chemistry again, and won nine straight games. Phoenix is without a doubt one of the best teams in the NBA, ranking fourth in points per game, seventh in eFG% (effective field goal percentage), fifth in defensive efficiency, and eighth in opponent eFG%. If the Suns can improve their three-point shooting, they will be a tough team to beat.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns Daily Fantasy Picks

Kristaps Porzingis struggled in the first three games of the 2021-22 NBA season, scoring 11, 9, and 18 points, respectively. Porzingis then missed the next five games due to a lingering back injury, which many thought could expand into a larger issue. Luckily, it did not become a major issue. As a matter of fact, after returning on November 6, Porzingis has been on an absolute tear, averaging 23.2 points and nine rebounds. It appears that Porzingis is healthy now and meshing well with Luka Doncic, so I would highly consider Porzingis as long as his salary is reasonable.

This season, Mikal Bridges has been playing at an extremely high level through the Phoenix Suns’ first 13 games. Bridges has been a defensive anchor while also shooting an incredibly high percentage from the field and behind the arc. He has averaged 14 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on 54.3/40/75 shooting splits. While his rebound and assist averages are a bit down, they will likely correct as the season continues. Phoenix is on a hot streak right now, and it makes sense to stick a steady player with 20+ point potential in your lineup.

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Drew is one of the NBA Lead Writers at Lineups.com, specializing in betting content such as game predictions and player props. With a deep knowledge of players and prospects, Drew has an extensive edge in covering everything NBA.

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