Game Preview: Suns host Luka-less Mavericks

Just because the Mavs will be without Luka doesn’t mean they’re not dangerous.

Who: Phoenix Suns (15-14) vs. Dallas Mavericks (19-11)

When: 7:00pm Arizona Time

Where: Footprint Center — Phoenix, Arizona

Watch: AZFamily, Suns Live

Listen: KMVP 98.7

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Winning doesn’t cure everything, but it sure makes you feel better about the state of affairs. We are not blind to the issues the Phoenix Suns possess. We know they have an issue defending, that their turnovers are their demise, and injuries continue to plague the team.

But after the win against the Denver Nuggets on Christmas night, it’s a tad more digestible. Perhaps that is the fate of the 2024-25 Suns. Up and down. Consistently inconsistent. Taking us for a nauseous ride on a merry-go-round from hell.

Phoenix will attempt to make it two wins in a row tonight, doing so against a team in the Dallas Mavericks that lost more than a game on Christmas, they lost Luke Doncic for the foreseeable future.

Calf strains are no joke. Both Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal have dealt with the injury this season, and while the injury bug has been frustrating to navigate, we should be thankful we haven’t received the “yeah, we’ll check back in a month to see how they’re doing” news.

Prior to the injury, the Mavericks were rolling, winning 10 of their previous 12 games. The defending Western Conference champions, led by Luka’s 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.8 assists, were 7-2 in December. But now they face a world without Luka. He is a +168 this season when on the floor. That will be missed.

Dallas will rely on the playmaking and basketball brilliance of Kyrie Irving, who, at 32, continues to excel with an impressive 24.0 points per game. Luka’s absence doesn’t mean Dallas will roll over and concede defeat. They’re far from it. Much like their Christmas clash with Denver, Phoenix will have to fight hard to secure this win.

Probable Starters

Injury Report

Suns

• Grayson Allen — OUT (Concussion Protocol)
• Bol Bol — OUT (Left Knee Contusion)
• Devin Booker — OUT (Left Groin Soreness)
• Collin Gillespie — OUT (Right Ankle Fracture)

Mavericks

• Derrick Lively II — QUESTIONABLE (RLeft Hip Contusion)
• Luka Doncic — OUT (Left Calf Strain)
• Dante Exum — OUT (Right Wrist Surgery Surgery)

Uniform Matchup

What to Watch For

How Will the Mavericks Operate Without Luka Doncic?

Ah, Luka Doncic. The basketball wizard, the Slovenian maestro, the guy who makes defenders look like clumsy extras in his nightly highlight reel. But here’s the thing: even without Luka painting masterpieces on the hardwood, the Mavericks aren’t exactly lost in the wilderness. In fact, they’re thriving.

This isn’t Dallas’s first rodeo without Luka this season. He’s already missed eight games, and the Mavs haven’t just survived, they’ve prospered. They’re 6-2 in those Luka-less outings, and the answer to “why?” wears number 2: Kyrie Irving.

In the seven games Kyrie has played sans Luka, his numbers tell the story. 24.1 points, 6.4 assists, and an eye-popping +44 overall. More importantly, the Mavericks are 6-1 in those games, a testament to the Kyrie-centric offense’s lethal efficiency.

For the Suns, this should be a warning shot, not a sigh of relief. Luka might be the headliner, but Dallas doesn’t crumble when their star is out of the lineup. If anything, the Mavs lean into Kyrie’s unpredictable genius, a volatile mix of poetry and chaos that can break ankles and wills in equal measure.

And if there’s one thing we know about these Suns, it’s their frustrating knack for letting their guard down. Whether it’s complacency or a mental hiccup, they have a history of losing the psychological edge at precisely the wrong moment. Tonight, they can’t afford that luxury. Dallas isn’t coming to Phoenix to roll over. They’re coming to remind the league that they’re more than just Luka’s team.

Key to a Suns Win

Effort and Ball Security: A Love Story in Basketball Basics

Effort and ball security. Two pillars of basketball so elemental they might as well be etched into the game’s Ten Commandments. Yet for these Suns, they’ve often been treated more like optional electives than sacred doctrines. But on Christmas night, against a Denver Nuggets squad that isn’t in the habit of giving away Ws, Phoenix rediscovered the holy grail of fundamental basketball.

They hustled. They held onto the damn ball. And wouldn’t you know it? Those two simple acts collided like fate and delivered a 10-point victory.

Yes, it sounds almost insultingly basic. Try hard on defense. Don’t turn the ball over. Revolutionary stuff, right? But here’s the thing. This season, the Suns have made “basic” look like quantum physics. They’ve been undone by sloppy passes, careless dribbles, and defensive lapses.

But when they flip the switch, when they buy into these seemingly elementary principles, this team is borderline unstoppable. Why? Because the talent is already there. The depth is undeniable.

The Christmas game was proof. A glimpse of what could be if the Suns would just get out of their own way. They smothered Denver with flustering, in-your-face defense. They took care of the ball like it was a Fabergé egg. And the result wasn’t just a win; it was a blueprint.

If Phoenix sticks to this formula — effort, ball security, rinse, repeat — they won’t just win games. They’ll make a serious run at something bigger. The talent’s always been there; the focus just has to keep up.

Prediction

I’m tentatively picking the Suns to win this one. Very tentatively…

Suns 112, Mavs 110