The NBA season often tilts on availability, and Tuesday night against Dallas is a clean example. The Phoenix Suns won’t have Grayson Allen due to a right knee sprain or Isaiah Livers because of a left shoulder sprain, but the most important line on the injury report is the one that isn’t there. Devin Booker and Jalen Green are fully available. That changes everything.
Phoenix’s offensive efficiency jumps dramatically when Booker and Green are on the floor, not just in scoring but in decision-making. Lineups with their two-star scorers typically generate cleaner catch-and-shoot looks and drives to the rim while reducing late-clock possessions, small edges that matter against the NBA’s.p-tier teams. Against a Mavericks team still stabilizing its rotations after recent roster upheaval tied to league-wide blockbuster movement, including trading star Anthony Davis, structure matters.
Dallas remains dangerous, especially with its primary scorers like Cooper Flagg available, but this matchup is less about star names and more about control. The Suns rank among the league’s better teams at limiting opponent runs when healthy in the backcourt. That psychological steadiness becomes critical with a second game in a back-to-back looming against Oklahoma City, one of the West’s most physically demanding teams.
Win in Dallas, and Phoenix can approach Wednesday with flexibility. Split or stumble, and the Suns head into the break chasing ground instead of consolidating it. Historically, teams that finish the pre-All-Star stretch above .500 in their final five games improve seeding odds by a meaningful margin down the line. For Phoenix fans, the takeaway is simple but powerful as it’s a tone-setter right before the break. Health, urgency, and execution, those are the Suns’ real advantages right now. The standings will catch up later.