PREVIEW

MAVS (43-31) VS. SUNS (33-39)

Time: 3 p.m.

Place: AdventHealth Arena, Orlando

TV: FSSW/TNT

Radio: ESPN 103.3 FM; Univision 1270 AM (Spanish)

About the Mavs:  This will be the Mavs’ first regular season game before they open their first-round playoff series next week against the Los Angeles Clippers, possibly as early as Monday. The Mavs are 3-4 in the bubble and actually don’t have anything to play for in this game. They’re already locked into the No. 7 seed, and they’ve always wanted to enter the playoffs healthy. . .There was a slim chance for the Mavs to move up in the Western Conference standings and avoid the Clippers in the first round. But that went awry when they lost Tuesday’s wild 134-131 game to the Portland Trail Blazers. . .Kristaps Porzingis finished the game against the Blazers with 36 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Porzingis, in fact, has been playing his best basketball of the season since the Mavs entered the bubble. In six games in Orlando the 7-3 forward is averaging 30.5 ppg and 9.5 rpg and shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from 3-point land. Also, Porzingis has four 30-point games inside the bubble after having just six in 51 games before the Mavs flew to Orlando. In addition, he has scored 20 or more points in all six games in Orlando. The only other time in Porzingis’ entire career where he went six consecutive games scoring 20 or more points occurred from Nov. 3-15, 2017 when he was playing for the New York Knicks.  . .With averages of 32 ppg, 11 rpg and 11.3 apg, Luka Doncic is the only player in the entire NBA averaging a triple-double in the bubble. Doncic has three triple-doubles inside the bubble. The over 300 other players in the bubble have combined to produce just one triple-double. . .Tim Hardaway Jr. is averaging 25.5 ppg and has made 17-of-26 shots (65.4 percent) over the past two games. He scored 27 points on Monday against Utah and 24 on Tuesday against Portland. Also, Hardaway was 9-of-9 from the free throw line against the Blazers. That’s the most free throws he’s attempted and made in a game all season. Hardaway is shooting a career-high 39.8 percent from behind the 3-point line.

About the Suns: Phoenix has quickly become one of the feel-good stories of the bubble. That’s because the Suns have been fighting for their playoff lives ever since they landed in Orlando, where they are 7-0 and are the only team with a perfect record. . .Here’s how the Suns will advance to the play-in game. If Phoenix defeats the Mavs, that covers half of its battle. From there, the Suns will need either the Portland Trail Blazers to lose to the Brooklyn Nets, or the Memphis Grizzles to lose to the Milwaukee Bucks in order for Phoenix to advance to the play-in game. If the No. 8-seed beats the No. 9 seed in Saturday’s play-in game, then that team will advance to play the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. But if the No. 9 seed wins Saturday’s game, then the eighth and ninth seeds will play again on Sunday with the winner playing the Lakers next week. . .The Suns haven’t been to the playoffs since – led by Steve Nash — they lost to the Lakers in six games in the 2010 Western Conference Finals. . .Devin Booker has been lighting it up in Orlando, where he has produced five 30-point games, including scoring 35 points in four different games. Booker scored 35 points and drilled the game-winning basket at the buzzer against the Los Angeles Clippers on Aug. 4. He also tallied 35 points in each of the last three games – against Miami, Oklahoma City and Philadelphia. Overall, Booker is averaging 26.6 ppg and 6.5 apg. . .Deandre Ayton has been a beast in the middle for the Suns with averages of 18.4 ppg and 11.5 rpg. The Suns had the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and could have drafted Luka Doncic if they wanted to. Instead, they used that top overall pick to draft Ayton . .Point guard Ricky Rubio runs the show for the Suns and is averaging 13.1 ppg and 8.7 apg. . .The Suns rallied from 15 points down to beat the Mavs, 117-115 on Aug. 2. Booker scored 30 points in 31 minutes in that game.

Twitter: @DwainPrice

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