NBA Basketball - Phoenix Suns at Dallas Mavericks (-4, 208) 9:00 PM EST
 The Mavs have not lost consecutive games since opening the season 0-4 back in early November.
Dallas is the first team in NBA history with three winning streaks of at least 12 games in a season, and the Mavs still have an impressive run going at home, where they've won a team record 23 in a row (13-9-1 ATS).
For Dallas nothing like a big ballgame to get right back on track after a less then satisfactory performance. "We weren't here tonight, (Sunday at Golden State)" Mavs coach Avery Johnson said. "We just didn't have it. We got outplayed and worked and hustled, but our guys are professional. They don't have many nights like this, so we'll bounce back. ... This leaves a bad taste in our mouth. We don't like to play like this." After the beginning of the season, Dallas is 5-0 and 3-2 ATS after losing a game.
Phoenix just completed a sweep of a five game homestand, winning by an average of 12 points a game. The Suns know catching Dallas for the top spot in the Western Conference is still a daunting task and is interested in the opportunity to see where they are.
"We'll see what happens," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said of tonight’s televised contest. "We'd love to play well against them and measure ourselves to see what we're doing. Dallas is still out there a little ways (in the standings), but when you play Dallas, it's a measuring stick for both teams. It will be a great game for the fans, and it means a little bit in March, more when we play them in April. One thing's for sure, it will be a great game."
Phoenix comes into Big D with the second best road record in the NBA at 23-8 and also is the 2nd best road wager at 20-11ATS, winning by 5.9 PPG. For these reasons, even though Dallas is brilliant at home, they are only obligatory 4-point favorite at sportsbook.com with total of 208.
Despite the Suns dazzling numbers as visitors, they are 0-5 as road underdogs with 3-2 against the spread mark. Dallas is in uncomfortable territory being such a small home favorite. In fact the last time this happened was when Phoenix was in town way back on December 28, when they covered as 2.5-point road dogs in 101-99 loss. Interestingly enough, The Mavs are only 5-7 and dismal 3-9 ATS when the line is between +4 and -4 this campaign.
Including playoff contests, Marc Cuban’s club is 5-6 and 3-8 ATS when taking on the Suns. ESPN has this notable West showdown starting at 9 Eastern.
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