Phoenix Suns will take on the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the NBA playoffs on Tuesday evening. The hosts look forward to returning to the winning ways after two straight defeats. The away side boosted its confidence with two wins at their court, and they hope to produce an upset here.
Phoenix wasn’t successful on the road, and they return home for Game 5 and a crucial advantage in this series. The home side seeks success in front of its crowd to get one step closer to the conference finals. On the other hand, Dallas is still alive in this series, and they managed to tie two victories. The visitors are full of confidence, and they would like to continue in the same fashion.
Phoenix Suns – Will they defend the home court?
The Suns return home short-handed after losing twice in a row in Dallas. They let the rivals level the series and get the momentum ahead of an important Game 5. Phoenix’s offense couldn’t do much against the Mavs’ backline, as they scored 97.5 pts on average on the road. The Suns trailed 12 points already after the first quarter on Sunday evening, and they couldn’t get back into the game. Despite having a slightly better field goal percentage, Phoenix hit only 36% of their three-pointer attempts. The dominance in the paint also wasn’t enough for a positive result in Dallas.
Devin Booker has been the most efficient player in Phoenix’s offense in the post-season, scoring 25 points on average. Chris Paul has a team-high nine assists, followed by 19.8 pts per contest. Deandre Ayton is dominant in the paint with 9.2 rebounds while producing 18.7 points. Mikal Bridges contributes to the Suns’ offense with 14.6 pts, while Cameron Johnson and Jae Crowder have 10+ points each. On the other hand, Dario Saric remains sidelined in this series, while all other players should be ready to make appearances.
Expected Line-Up: Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, Deandre Ayton
with best odds
Dallas Mavericks – Can they continue their streak?
The Mavericks managed to get out of a tough situation after being 2-0 down before moving the series to the home court. They managed to even the things, probably easier than everybody expected. Dallas controlled Game 4 from its very start and celebrated a deserved 111-101 victory. Their shooting from the three-pointer area was excellent, as they scored 45.5% of their shots. On the other hand, Dallas wasn’t physical enough in the paint, allowing their rivals to log seven rebounds more.
Luka Doncic continues to drive the Mavs’ offense, averaging 31.3 points per match. He also tops the rebounds, assists, and steals charts with 9.9, 7.4, and 1.4, respectively. Jalen Brunson has also contributed a lot to Dallas’s offense with 23.5 pts per contest, while Dorian Finney-Smith has 13.4 points. Spencer Dinwiddie scores 12.5 points per game on average, while Maxi Kleber and Reggie Bullock produce a double-digit number of points as well. Thanks to a completely injury-free roster, Dallas won’t have any selection issues ahead of this match.
Expected Line-Up: Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson, Reggie Bullock, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dwight Powell
Expert Pick #1 – Dallas Mavericks +6.5 @-110
The Mavs got their defensive mojo back, and although they are underdogs in this game, they could keep it tight. I’m not sure whether they are capable enough of beating the Suns on the road, but I don’t see them losing by more than six points. I’ll back the Mavericks ATS as my first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Under 215 @-110
Their last two clashes stayed under the margin, and I expect a similar outcome in this one too. Although their first two games in Phoenix went over the margin, the importance of the upcoming one will keep it under a 215 margin. Give me the Under as the second bet.
Expert Pick #3 – Jalen Brunson Over 19.5 @-125
Jalen Brunson has been one of Dallas’s key players in the post-season, and I expect him to pick up where he left off. Luka Doncic needs somebody to back him up in the offense, and Brunson might finish this match in the 20s. Despite slightly lower odds, it’s going to be my third pick.
