Phoenix Suns vs Dallas Mavericks Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 14/05/2022, 21:07  by Joseph King | Modified on 15/05/2022 at 04:08 in Basketball Predictions

The second game seven of the 2022 NBA playoffs sees the top-seeded Suns take on the fourth-seed Mavericks at the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix. Dallas was able to defend their home court and force a series deciding winner take all matchup after a 113-86 blowout in game six. The Mavs will now be tasked with winning a road game, which hasn’t happened yet for either team this series, if they want to advance to the Conference Finals for the first time since the 2011 title-winning team. In their way will be the defending Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns who recorded the league's best regular season record at 64 wins and 18 losses. History will also be against the Mavericks here, as Dallas has had a torrid time of things in their trips to Phoenix over the past few seasons and have now lost eight straight away to the Suns.

The key matchup to watch in this one will be the Suns’ Devin Booker vs the Mavericks’ Luka Doncic. Both young stars are tasked with being their team's main offensive threat but it’s the 23-year-old Slovenian Doncic that also carries the weight of being the team's primary ball handler and playmaker. Luka has been putting up his usual stat-stuffing performances, averaging 31.1 points per game, 10.1 rebounds and 6.8 assists, but it’s the Suns’ Devin Booker that we’re going to focus on for our bet in this game. The points total prop bet for the seventh-year shooting guard currently sits at 28.5. Booker was injured in the first-round series against the Pelicans which saw him miss three of the six games. Since returning for the sixth and final game of the Pelicans series, Booker has averaged 25.5 points per game in seven games. This will also be unfamiliar territory for the 25-year-old as this will be his first game seven. With game sevens usually resulting in teams tending to slow down the pace of play as possessions are placed at a premium, there will be fewer opportunities for Booker to get the touches required to hit the over.