The Suns marched to a 105-98 win over Dallas on Wednesday, extending their current straight up win streak to 10 games. The defeat snapped the Mavericks’ two-game win streak and marked the team’s second outright loss in their past three road contests. The Suns return to action on Friday night perched as 8-point home favourites, with the total pegged at 211.0. Mavericks vs. Suns NBA Betting Odds Friday night’s matchup marks the first and only time this season the Suns will face the same opponent in back-to-back games played on home court. The club hosted the same opponent in consecutive contests on two occasions last season, compiling a 1-1 straight up and against the spread record over the second half of those two-game series. For Dallas, Friday’s contest closes out the first of two back-to-backs on their current four-game road trip. Like Phoenix, the Mavs produced mixed results in similar circumstances last season, going 1-1 on the back half. While Wednesday’s defeat marked their seventh straight outright loss to Phoenix, the Mavericks paid out at the sportsbooks, narrowly covering as 8.5-point underdogs, snapping a six-game slide in head-to-head action. With the total listed at 216.0 in that contest, the UNDER also paid out for the fifth time in six meetings between these teams. Dallas Mavericks With the team’s leading scoring Luka Doncic sidelined by injury, the Mavericks’ supporting cast stepped up in Wednesday’s hard fought clash. Dallas took a narrow 46-45 lead into halftime, and led by as much as six points in the fourth quarter before seeing the Suns close things out with a game-ending 24-12 run. Tim Hardaway Jr. led the Mavericks with 22 points, and Kristaps Porzingis contributed 21. The club also received solid contributions off the bench, with Trey Burke and Frank Ntilikina scoring a combined 23 points. With Doncic unlikely to return from injury in time for Friday’s contest, Dallas will likely need more big performances from role players, and must find a way to avoid another fourth-quarter letdown on the road. Phoenix Suns Now riding their longest straight up win streak since winning 10 in a row back in 2010, the Suns have work to do to get back into the good graces of sports bettors after failing to cover for a second straight game on Wednesday. That also marked the sixth time the club has failed to cover in their past eight while pegged as home chalk by eight or more points. The upside for the Suns is the overall team effort they received in Wednesday’s win. Devin Booker once again led the way, draining a game-high 24 points and adding nine rebounds. Booker was just one of six Suns players to record double-digit point totals. Deandre Ayton also racked his fifth double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Chris Paul added 14 helpers. NBA Prediction: Who Will Win Mavericks vs. Suns? [sia-editorial score-prediction]
