The Phoenix Suns face off against the Dallas Mavericks in their last game of the bubble. This will also be the final game for the Mavericks before they head into the playoffs. The Suns, however, aren’t guaranteed a playoff spot yet. They need to beat the Mavericks. Phoenix is tied with Memphis for the ninth spot. However, Memphis will take the higher seed due to tiebreaker rules. So the Suns need to hope that Memphis loses to the Bucks, while they beat the Mavericks.
These teams faced off earlier in the bubble, with the Suns winning by two points (117-115). The Suns are yet to lose a game in the bubble. They are the only undefeated team heading into the final game. The Mavericks have gone 3-4 and have had a lackluster defensive showing in the bubble. Their offense, however, looks as potent as ever.
The Mavericks may miss Kristaps Porzingis (heel), Seth Curry (leg), Maxi Kleber (knee), and Dorian Finney-Smith (hip). Luka Doncic will not be sitting this game out. The Suns have most of their roster available outside game-time decisions on Cameron Johnson and the yet to feature Aron Baynes.
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Phoenix Suns vs Dallas Mavericks: Who wins?
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The Mavs have their playoff matchup set against the LA Clippers. That means that this game has no meaning for them, as most of the star players may be saved for the playoff series. They already may be without four of their most important rotation pieces outside Luka Doncic. The Suns have a lot to play for and will field a full-strength team to ensure they don’t let this slip.
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The Suns will officially have their longest winning streak in a decade if they can put the Mavs away. Even this may not guarantee the Suns a playoff berth, as they are reliant on the results of Blazers-Nets and Grizzlies-Bucks for their seed. If one of those teams lose while the Suns win their game, they are guaranteed a play-in spot. They may even jump to the eighth spot, but only in a situation where both Memphis and Portland lose their games.
Our prediction for this is that the Suns take the weakened Mavericks out and pray that other results fall in their favor. All their opponents also face teams without anything to play for, so the ground is as level as it can be.