Dallas Mavericks Vs. Phoenix Suns Preview
By Evan Siegel
The Dallas Mavericks face off against the Phoenix Suns tonight in a Western Conference Preseason game. Here are just a few things to keep an eye on for the matchup this evening.
The Mavs will face off with the Phoenix Suns in the desert this evening in their fifth preseason game, looking for their third win. While reunions with Tyson Chandler and John Jenkins are fun to watch, tonight an actual game might break out. The Mavs will have all five starters dressed and in the starting lineup this evening.
This will be Mavs fans first look at Deron Williams, Wesley Matthews, Harrison Barnes, Dirk Nowitzki and Andrew Bogut altogether as a unit. While the Mavs are still attempting to finalize and sort out minutes for their bench. This starting unit figures to be a sturdy defensive group that should be challenged against the speedy combination Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker.
This offseason was a bizarre one for the Suns. A massively underwhelming season combined with the firing of Jeff Hornacek eventually led to major tension between guards Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight.
While the Suns have a decent roster on paper, they are no threat to any playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Mavs should have a fairly easy time suffocating the Suns stagnant offense with a stifling defense led by Rick Carlisle.
This game is extremely important for roster hopefuls such as A.J. Hammons, Jonathan Gibson, and Nicolas Brussino.
By this point, the Mavs have a pretty good idea of what their roster is going to look like, and should be able to begin to come to some conclusions after tonight’s game. Some conclusions may be made about this group’s starting five as well.
Next: Dallas Mavericks: Matching Up with the Blazers
Of course every Mavs game is exciting in its own right, but tonight’s game could be one of the more exciting ones for those ready to see what our final roster is shaping up to be. If you have a chance, keep up with the game via our live Twitter feed at @TheSmokingCuban.