Predictions for a Busy Suns Week

After a week where the Phoenix Suns faced off against primarily below .500 teams, they will embark on a difficult week being tasked with playing some of the premier players and teams in the NBA.

How will the Suns fare?

Tonight: Suns @ Dallas Mavericks

There is a lot of history that goes into this matchup.

The Suns' quest for an NBA championship was terminated by the Mavericks after a heated seven-game series in last year's playoffs, most notably in a humiliating 33-point Game 7 defeat at the Footprint Center.

On opening night of this season, it seemed that the same outcome would come into fruition again as the Mavericks were beating the Suns by over 20 points in the first half. It was the Suns’ grit and determination to win that stood out in the second half as they found a way to claw back defeating the Mavericks 107-105.

That leaves us to where we are today: The Suns head back to American Airlines Arena in Dallas for the first time since squandering a Game 6 elimination game.

According to SISportsbook, the Suns are the +125 underdogs going into this matchup.

While the Mavericks' 11-11 record may not stand out, Luka Doncic has been outstanding. He is leading the league in points per game with 33.4 and averaging 8.6 rebounds and assists each.

Recently, the Suns have been on a roll winning their last seven of eight games compared to the Mavericks who have lost their past five of seven games.

The Mavericks always seem to be the Suns' Achilles heel, so if history repeats itself, the Dallas could defeat Phoenix in a potentially monumental game for both teams.

Wednesday: Boston Celtics @ Suns

One of the only teams with a better record than the Suns are the Celtics.

The Suns are currently first in the Western Conference with a 16-7 record while the Celtics sit atop the East with a 19-5 record.

This will be a true heavyweight battle. The two best teams from each conference duke it out in a potential NBA finals matchup.

Despite not guarding one another, the big headline of this game will be Jayson Tatum vs. Devin Booker. Both players are MVP candidates, leading their team in scoring and helping their team achieve high status thus far.

It may be somewhat early in the season but this game has huge added weight to it. The outcome of the game will help us learn where these teams are truly at and give fans more clarity when it comes to the MVP race.

Just like the Suns, the Celtics have been phenomenal recently winning six out of their past seven games.

The Celtics may have a better record right now but top notch teams usually take care of business on their home court. Phoenix has only lost two games at home all season.

Expect it to be close, but the Suns should win in front of the ruckus crowd at the Footprint Center.

Friday/Sunday: Suns @ Pelicans

It's most common for a team to face each other twice in a row during the playoffs. However, The Suns are set to face off against the Pelicans on both Friday and Sunday in New Orleans.

The Suns last matchup against the Pelicans came on Oct. 24 where the Suns took an impressive 124-111 victory.

There was one player missing for the Pelicans on October 24. They were missing their six-foot-six monster Zion Williamson who is averaging 23.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists.

For the Suns, it will be difficult to defend both Williamson and center Jonas Valanciunas as they have a primarily smaller lineup. This will put a lot of the pressure on Deandre Ayton to not only defend his opponent but to secure nearly every rebound.

It's difficult to predict when teams play each other in consecutive games but there should be a ton of adjustments made by both the Suns and the Pelicans over the weekend.

Expect the Pelicans to win on Friday on their home floor but for the Suns to make the necessary adjustments to secure the victory on Sunday.