NBA Picks 2/22 – Phoenix Suns @ Dallas Mavericks

NBA Picks 2/22 – Phoenix Suns @ Dallas Mavericks

by Thomas Quaynor for Wannamakeabet.com

The second half of the NBA season kicks off tonight as the Phoenix Suns (33-22) visit the Dallas Mavericks (32-23) at American Airlines Center on TNT. Dallas is a 2.5-point favorite and the total is 244. Dallas enters tonight’s game on a season-high six-game winning streak. This is the third and final meeting between these teams, they split the first two games with the visiting team winning each contest. Phoenix won the most recent matchup 132-109 on Jan. 25 in Dallas behind Devin Booker’s 46 points. The last six meetings between these teams have been split evenly with each team winning every other game.

GAME STORYLINES: PHOENIX

After making a somewhat surprising trip to the 2021 NBA Finals and falling to the Milwaukee Bucks in 6 games, the Phoenix Suns seemed destined to make a return trip to the finals and possibly win the title. But the next two seasons brought embarrassing playoff losses and bickering amongst the team which led to the firing of head coach Monty Williams. Phoenix has now spent the past year attempting to recapture the championship trajectory they were on 2021 and 2022 by making moves that have ultimately resulted in another Big Three. 

In February 2023, Phoenix first acquired 13-time All-Star Kevin Durant in a blockbuster trade where they gave up a package that included young stars Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, along with four unprotected first-round picks. Durant was unable to get Phoenix past the second round as they fell to the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets in six games. After the season, Phoenix traded for three-time All-Star Bradley Beal in June, which completed the Big Three. The Suns Big Three got off to a slow start this season as Devin Booker and Bradley Beal battled injuries. Not surprisingly, Beal being back at full strength has coincided with the Suns playing their best ball of the season as they are now a season-high 9 games over .500. Beal has missed 25 games this season due to back and ankle injuries. He suffered a hamstring injury on Feb. 13 against Sacramento which caused him to miss Phoenix’s next game against Detroit. Beal is considered questionable for tonight’s game at Dallas. 

Through the first half of the season, Kevin Durant put up spectacular numbers yet again by averaging 28.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.3 blocks, while shooting 53.8 percent from the floor and 44.3 percent from beyond the arc. The 35-year-old Durant participated in his 14th All-Star game last Sunday. Fellow All-Star Devin Booker averaged 27.5 points, a career-high 7 assists, 4.6 rebounds and is shooting 50 percent from floor. Beal’s 18.2 points per game is his lowest since the 2015-16 season but his shooting efficiency from the field (49.5 percent from 2, 36.3 percent from 3) remains good as it was in Washington. The Suns Big Three has lived up to the monicker when they’ve been on the court together this season.  

Center Jusuf Nurkic (11.8 pts, 10.2 rebs, 3.7 asts, 1 blk, 1stl), guard Grayson Allen (career-high 12.8 pts, 3.9 rebs, 51 percent from 2, league-best 48.2 percent from 3) and veteran scorer Eric Gordon (12.6 pts, 46.8 percent from 2, 38.8 percent from 3) have been outstanding this year in supporting roles for the Suns Big Three. Gordon and Allen have taken turns stepping up their games when Beal has been out with injuries. Trade deadline acquisition Royce O’Neale (7 pts, 5 rebs, 2.3 stls in 3 games with Phoenix) should also have a key supporting role as a starter or reserve with Phoenix during the second half of the season. The 30-year-old swingman hit two clutch fourth quarter three-pointers in Phoenix’s 130-125 win against Sacramento on Feb. 13.

GAME STORYLINES: DALLAS

On June 21, 2018, the Dallas Mavericks selected Trae Young with the No. 5 pick and then immediately traded him to the Atlanta Hawks for the No. 3 pick Luka Doncic. The move ended up being a franchise-changing decision for Dallas as Doncic has already established himself as an all-time great player in his six NBA seasons. Doncic was named the named the 2018-19 Rookie of the Year, he’s made the All-Star team 5 times and been named All-NBA four times. The only knock on Doncic at this point is his lack of postseason success as he’s only made it past the first round of the playoffs once in his first five seasons. Mavericks management has made a concerted effort to surround Doncic with elite talent by adding talented big man Kristaps Porzingis for two and a half seasons (2020 -2022), and then trading for enigmatic, free-agent-to-be star guard Kyrie Irving on Feb. 6 2023.

The Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving pairing appeared to be a huge failure as Dallas failed to even make the playoffs last year while finishing below .500 (38-44) and everyone assuming Kyrie would not return to Dallas in order to sign with LeBron James, the New York Knicks or possibly retire. But in typical Kyrie fashion, he did the unexpected and signed a three-year, 126-million-dollar contract to stay with Dallas on the first day of free agency last June. We’ll see how far Dallas can go with Kyrie and Luka locked in for at least the next three years.

On the court this season, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving continue to put up terrific numbers. Doncic is averaging career-highs of 34.2 points and 9.5 assists, along with 8.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals on 49.2 percent shooting from the floor.  On Jan. 26, Doncic scored a franchise-record 73 points in a 148-143 win at Atlanta, it was tied for the fourth-most points in NBA history. Kyrie Irving is averaging 25.5 points, 5.5 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.3 steals while shooting 49.1 percent from the floor and 41.4 percent from beyond the arc. Kyrie has missed 19 games this year due to injuries to his thumb and foot. The chemistry between Kyrie and Luka is a lot better this season when you look at the win-loss record and the current six-game winning streak. 

Dallas is also getting tremendous production from super-sub Tim Hardaway Jr. (17.3 pts, 3.6 rebs) and rookie big man Dereck Lively II (9.2 pts, 7.8 rebs, 1.3 blks, 73.6 percent from 2). Hardaway Jr. is having his best scoring season since 2018-19 with the New York Knicks when he averaged a career-high 19.1 points per game. Dallas selected Lively II with the No. 12 in the lottery last June and he’s been one of the top rookies in the NBA this season. Lively II was selected to play in the Rising Stars Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend. Dallas also made two significant additions at the trade deadline when they acquired Washington Wizards ultra-athletic center Daniel Gafford (10.9 pts, 8 rebs, 2.2 blks, 69 percent from 2 with WASH) and Charlotte Hornets combo forward P.J. Washington (13.6 pts, 5.3 rebs with CHA) from the Charlotte Hornets. In totality, both players should provide Dallas with a big boost in defense, scoring and three-point shooting. 

THE PICK

Dallas has won six straight and looks to be in the early stages of a sustained run of dominance with a healthy Kyrie and the recent trade additions, Lay the Points and take Dallas!