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The Dallas Mavericks Western Conference Semifinal series against the Phoenix Suns has been a tale of two cities. In Game 1 and Game 2 in Phoenix, the Suns were by far the better team. Most people had written off the Mavs after those games. To Dallas' credit, the team stuck together and flipped the script on Phoenix in Game 3 and Game 4. They were the more physical team, and played excellent defense, winning both games and evening the series. However, back in Phoenix in Game 5, things reverted back as the Suns won by 30 points.
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By no means should the Mavs simply expect things to just go their way in Game 6 back in Dallas. They will have to make some adjustments and play much better if they want to force a Game 7.
With that said, let's dive into our three bold predictions for the Dallas Mavericks in Game 6 of their Western Conference Semifinal series with the Phoenix Suns.
Dallas Mavericks: 3 Bold Predictions for Game 6 vs. Suns in Western Conference Semifinals
1. Maxi Kleber bounces back with strong effort
Mavs power forward Maxi Kleber has been up and down all post season long. At times, he looks like he could be a starter for most NBA clubs. Other times, he reminds everyone why he has been coming off the bench for most of his career.
In Game 5, the Mavs forward played 24 highly ineffective minutes. He was 1-for-5 from the floor, finishing with four points and two turnovers. Kleber was also a team-worst -22 in plus/minus. In Games 3 and 4 in Dallas, Kleber fed off the crowd and was much more efficient, hitting over 60 percent of his shots.
Kleber is also an above average defender, particularly at home. Check out the Mavs' big man's ability to switch onto Devin Booker and stay with him.
https://twitter.com/bobbykaralla/status/1523782708358356992
I expect Kleber to play much better on both ends of the court in Game 6. A line of 12 points, eight rebounds, three assists with a block or two is very possible.
2. Luka Doncic scores less than 25 points
Mavs superstar Luka Doncic is easily one of the best basketball players in the world. Everyone knows that. He is also one of the best pure scorers in the game today. His playoff average, admittedly in his early career, of 32.5 points per game is second only to Michael Jordan all-time. That's remarkable.
Doncic and Booker have a budding rivalry, as seen last game. But this does not benefit the Mavs.
However, we all witnessed Doncic go bananas the first two games of this series offensively. The outcome, two blowout losses. It will be far more important for the Mavs leader to get his guys involved early. Jalen Brunson has been hot and cold this series but has put a few nice games together lately.
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But guys like Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans need to get going offensively. Luka Doncic has the ability to help them get there, particularly in the first half.
As the game wears on, looks for Mavs coach Jason Kidd to try and get Doncic into some mismatches.
Luka Doncic taking Chris Paul for a dance pic.twitter.com/qyse2YkwLh
— Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) May 11, 2022
He has a massive size advantage on Chris Paul. However, when the Suns can get Devin Booker on him, Doncic is only shooting 4-for-9 this series. So, it will be important to get the right matchups.
3. Game 6 comes down to wire, but Mavs fall just short
As detailed above, Dallas plays much better at American Airlines Arena. That's the site of Game 6 Thursday. I fully expect the Mavs to play much better in this game.
They have done an excellent job over the last few games against Suns' star Chris Paul defensively. Phoenix's point guard has been held to single digits scoring in both of the last two games. But he is due for a breakout and is known for making big plays when his team needs him the most. This game likely is going to come down to the fourth quarter.
Dallas has playmakers and scorers. But it is hard to trust them with the pressure of their season on the line. Meanwhile, the Suns have so many veterans and have been through wars like this already. There is lot to learn from reaching and losing the NBA Finals, as the Suns did last year.
Expect a tightly contested game between the Mavs and the Suns. But ultimately, I believe Dallas' season will come to an end on Thursday night.
