How to Watch Mavericks-Suns 2022-23 NBA Opening Week Game On Wednesday
The NBA always puts together some celebratory matchups during opening week, and boy do we have a good one on Wednesday night!
The Dallas Mavericks, fresh from their run to the Western Conference Finals last season, will head to the desert to take on the Phoenix Suns, not just the team that had the league’s best record a season ago , but also against the team that defeated Dallas in seven games to advance to the Western Conference Finals!
When they went down 3-2 against the Mavericks in their Western Conference Semifinals series, everyone thought that series was over and that the Suns would move forward to take on the Golden State Warriors, but Dallas surpassed Phoenix in Game 6 by 27 points and then they broke them up in Game 7 and outperformed Phoenix in Phoenix by 33 points!
A new rivalry in the NBA has only been created because of a playoff series and as of now Luka Doncic and the Mavericks already have the bragging rights over Devin Booker and the Suns after what happened just a few months ago.
Can the Suns, now without veteran Jae Crowder, beat the Mavericks, who added Christian Wood and JaVale McGee this offseason, in this opening week matchup of Western Conference powerhouse teams?
The 2022-23 NBA season is about to begin and here’s how to watch Wednesday’s game with game times and TV, lineups, bios and other important details.
How to watch Mavericks vs. Suns
- WHO: Dallas Mavericks (0-0) vs. Phoenix Suns (0-0)
- IF: 10:00 p.m. ET, Wednesday October 19, 2022
- WHERE: Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona
- TV: ESPN
- Stream: Fubo.tv CLICK HERE
Key stats and facts for Mavericks vs. Suns
- The Phoenix Suns had their best season in franchise history with a 64-18 record a season ago and held a league-best record in the 2021-22 season.
- The Dallas Mavericks ended last season with a 52-30 record and they made it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2011.
- A season ago, Dallas defeated Phoenix 4-3 in the Western Conference Semifinals.
- The Suns are 19-10 at home in the season opener.
- The Mavericks are 9-11 all-time in season openers.
- Phoenix defeated Dallas in three regular-season matchups a season ago, topping the Mavericks by 23 points overall.
Last encounter:
January 20, 2022 – Suns 109, Mavericks 101
Devin Booker (28 points) and Chris Paul (20 points) headed to Dallas in their final regular season meet of the year, leading the Suns past the Mavericks. Despite 28 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists from Luka Doncic, the Mavs turned the ball a total of 19 times that game and failed to find a rhythm towards the end of the game to carve out a win. Phoenix beat Dallas 35-19 in the fourth quarter of that game.
Latest injury reports:
Outsider: Davis Bertans (knee) – OUT, Frank Ntilikina (ankle) – OUT, Maxi Kleber (illness) – QUESTIONABLE
To sunbathe: Jae Crowder (not with team) – OUT, Landry Shamet (hip) – OUT
Expected starters:
PROJECTED MAVERICKS STARTERS (2021-22 regular season stats):
- G Lukas Doncic6-foot-7 guard: 28.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 9.1 assists
- G. Spencer Dinwiddie6-5 guard: 13.7 points, 5.2 assists
- F Reggie Bullock6-6 forward: 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds
- F Dorian Finney-Smith6-7 forward: 11.0 points, 4.7 rebounds
- C JaVale McGee7-0 middle: 9.2 points, 6.7 rebounds
PROJECTED SUNS STARTERS (2021-22 regular season stats):
- G Chris Paul6-0 guard: 14.7 points, 10.8 assists
- G. Devin Booker6-5 guard: 26.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists
- F Mikal bridges6-6 forward: 14.2 points, 4.2 rebounds
- F Cam Johnson6-8 forward: 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds
- C. Deandre Ayton6-11 middle: 17.2 points, 10.2 rebounds
Betting Odds:
- The Suns are currently 4.5-point favorites over the Mavericks, according to Wednesday morning FanDuel Sportsbook.
- The over/under for this matchup is currently set at 216 total points.
What to look out for:
- Suns’ Devin Booker (26.8 points per game) ranked eighth in the league in points per game a season ago.
- Phoenix was one of five teams to rank in the top 10 in both offense and defense a season ago.
- The Suns are 94-74 all-time against the Mavericks.
- The Mavericks only averaged 104.7 points per game to their opponents during the 2021-22 season, while the Suns averaged 114.8 points per game.