Bet Sports

For everyone watching the Super Bowl XLIV odds and waiting for next week’s game, pause to watch a matchup between two former NBA MVPs in Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki. Winners of four of their last five games, the Dallas Mavericks meet a team going the opposite way when it faces the Suns, in Phoenix. Having lost seven of the last nine games, Nash and company are looking to turn things around at home before heading out on a four game road trip.

What: NBA Betting

When: Thursday January 28^th – 10:30pm EST          

Where: US Airways Center - Phoenix, AZ

Key Stat:  Suns are 17-6 at home while the Mavericks are 16-8 on the road.

The Storyline - Mavericks vs Suns betting odds breakdown 
Leading the season series by winning their only matchup of the season in December, the Mavericks can take the series with a win on the road.  This will be the sixth game away from the big D in seven games for the Mavericks who can gain some ground on idle Denver in the race for second in the Western Conference. The key to the game will be which team can bend the game to match their playing style.

Offensive Matchups - Mavericks vs Suns betting odds breakdown 

The Suns are going to put up points as they average 113 points a game at home thanks to their run and gun offence, and shooting a league best 41 percent from downtown. Their problem as of late has been fourth quarter scoring.  For a team that scores at a pace of 27 points a quarter, they have averaged just 18 points in their last three losses. Sophomore guard Goran Dragic has stepped up in the past three games, averaging 21 points including 32 on Monday, and is one of the better sleeper fantasy projections for the next month.   

Scoring almost 10 points a game less than the Suns, Dallas will have to run a bit more than usual, but with athletes like Shawn Marion, Jason Terry and Josh Howard, they are very capable.  Terry has added a boost to the Mavericks offense since being inserted to the starting line-up, scoring 20 plus points in three of four as a starter. Dirk Nowitzki will need to score more than his team high 25 a game if Dallas wants to keep this game close.

Betting Edge: Suns 

Defensive Matchups - Mavericks vs Suns betting odds breakdown 
Phoenix has never been associated with having a strong defence in the past couple years and that trend is continuing.  Holding the distinction of second worst defence, the Suns are allowing over 107 points per game.  With a fast paced offence it allows for a lot of possessions which will boost the total points in their games.  They just hope to outscore opponents every game.

The Dallas defence has gone under the radar this season. The fourth best shot blocking team, 5.8 per game, is holding opponents to 97 points per game. The Mavericks are also showing discipline by gathering 7.2 steals per game while only committing an average of 19.2 fouls, good for best in the league.

Betting Edge: Mavericks

Notable Injuries - Mavericks vs Suns betting odds breakdown 
Suns guard Leandro Barbosa is out for the next month after having a cyst in his right wrist removed. The loss of Barbosa will take 10 points out of the line-up and force Jason Richardson and Dragic to eat up the extra minutes.  Barbosa has only played 29 games this year so the Suns have gotten accustom to playing without him.

Mavericks Center Erik Dampier has been battling a sore knee but he was still on the court for 34 minutes on Tuesday. He is expected to play but in the unlikely instance that he does not, Drew Gooden is a very capable backup who tallied 18 points and 16 rebounds on Sunday in the absence of Dampier

Betting Edge: Mavericks

Betting Prediction - Mavericks vs Suns betting odds breakdown 
Phoenix is 4-15 when held to 105 points or less while Dallas is 17-3 when scoring 100 plus points.  This is a good sign for Dallas since the Suns are allowing nearly 108 points a game, while the Mavericks have held opponents under 105 points in nine of their 13 games this month.    

CRAIG’s Pick:  Mavericks