Suns at Mavs Preview: Another Measure of Dallas' 'Bounce-Back'ability

Suns at Mavs Preview: Another Measure of Dallas' 'Bounce-Back'ability

DALLAS - The Dallas Mavericks are fresh off having exhibited yet another mental and emotional strength. Let's call it "Bounce-Back'ability, as they followed up a close loss at Utah on Saturday with a quality win on Monday at OKC, bringing Dallas' record in games following losses to 14-3.

The Mavs tonight get a different sort of "Bounce-Back'ability'' test: The second night of a back-to-back.

Game Time: 7:30 p.m. CT

Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas

TV/Radio: FSSW, ESPN, 103.3 FM, Univision, 1270 AM (Spanish)

Records: Mavericks (29-17), Suns (19-27)

The Mavs and Suns possess mirror-image records, with Dallas continuing to scratch its way into contention; entering tonight, the Mavs are in fifth in the West, where 29-17 Houston also hovers, making Friday night's upcoming national spotlight game against them on ESPN even more meaningful. 

Ever since that 15-point loss to the Lakers in L.A. on January 10, the Mavs seem to have turned a corner, breaking out of their midseason funk by winning six of their last eight games. And even though they face a tough back-to-back tonight, the Mavs have done surprisingly well in that category this season with a 4-1 record. The Mavs will go for their 30th win of the season tonight, and head coach Rick Carlisle's 500th win as the franchise's coach.

Not only would a win be Rick Carlisle’s 500th win as coach of the Mavs tonight, but it would be the Dallas’ 30th on the season. They didn’t win their 30th game last season until March 31st.

— Dalton Trigg (@dalton_trigg) January 28, 2020

Phoenix features offensive juggernaut Devin Booker and big man DeAndre Ayton (who was still suspended the last time these two teams met). The Mavericks of course counter with the almost incomparable Luka Doncic, who will get help from a supporting cast that figures to include Kristaps Porzingis (though KP is listed as "questionable'' due to load-management issues), a Monday night standout in Delon Wright, and maybe trade pickup Willie Cauley-Stein, who was with the team in OKC but did not play.

The emotions of the Kobe Bryant-related tragedy continue to resonate, as they have since Sunday's helicopter crash that killed nine people. There will surely be an observation of that tonight at the AAC, where soon Bryant's No. 24 will be retired by a team that so often found him an unbeatable foe, and by a team so populated by players who viewed Kobe as an iconic role model.