Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns
Thursday, 2/17/11, 10:30 PM EDT, TV: TNT
Opening Point Spread: Phoenix -1
Current Betting Line: Dallas -1.5
Opening Total: 207
Current Total: 207.5
Dallas will look to earn its 13th win in 14 games Thursday night and hope that it can continue riding the momentum after the All-Star break. The Mavericks are coming off a solid 116-110 win over the Kings and will now aim to improve on their 5-1 record against the Suns in the last six meetings. “I don’t know if I envisioned eight guys in double figures, but we wanted to win the game,” said coach Rich Carlisle about the Sacramento win. “It’s always good when you keep the minutes reasonable heading into a back-to-back, so there were positives.” The team is 39-16 overall and has posted an 18-8 mark away from home. Dallas is 17-9 ATS on the road this season and the NBA lines page is a must watch due to line movement on this particular contest.
The Mavericks have won seven of the last nine meetings with the Suns, but have dropped 17 of the last 25 match-ups in Phoenix. Dallas picked up a 106-91 home victory in this year’s first meeting, led by All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki’s game-high-tying 18 points. Both teams got off to slow starts, with Dallas shooting 39.1 percent in the first quarter and Phoenix checking in at 40.9. The squad can record its 40th win before the All-Star break with a victory tonight, which would be a dramatic improvement from the 32-20 mark the club had at this point during the 2009-10 campaign.
Phoenix sits just a game above the .500 mark heading into the final game before the break and will look to improve its home record to 17-12 with a win tonight. The Suns have won seven of their last nine games after defeating Utah in back-to-back contests, while Channing Frye has become a force on the perimeter. “I guess I got to do the playground thing and tell them when the guy is hot we need to try and find him,” said coach Alvin Gentry. The team is 10-1 when he makes more than three 3-pointers in a contest. Phoenix is 24-28 ATS on the season and 62-54 ATS at home the past three years.
The Suns are facing one of two teams in the Western Conference that they have yet to defeat this year, with the other being the Spurs. Only three NBA teams own a better record than Phoenix’s 12-5 mark since January 12. Phoenix is 9-13 versus Dallas since point guard Steve Nash left his former team and returned to the Valley of the Sun prior to the 2004-05 season. It’s important to note that the club has won six of its last seven games against teams possessing a winning record.
Bettors will likely back the Suns due to the home team being 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings, while the Mavericks are 13-37-1 ATS on Thursday.
Don’t miss out on all the action tonight and let the NBA handicappers at Maddux Sports line your pockets with cash!
