PREVIEW: The Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns clash Wednesday at Mortgage Matchup Center, with the Suns holding a 43-35 record against the struggling Mavericks at 25-54. Dallas enters fresh off a 116-103 loss to the Clippers, while Phoenix dropped a contest to Houston by a similar margin, 119-105. The Mavericks arrive without several key contributors including PJ Washington, Kyrie Irving, Daniel Gafford, Caleb Martin, Brandon Williams, and Dereck Lively II. Phoenix, meanwhile, remains healthy and dominant at home, boasting one of the league's stingiest defenses. Cooper Flagg continues to fill the stat sheet nightly for Dallas, though his recent 25-point performance on 9-of-25 shooting against the Clippers shows the rookie still has room to grow. The Suns enter this matchup highly motivated, as the Clippers sit just two games behind Phoenix in the playoff picture. Phoenix leads the season series 2-0 heading into this second meeting between the clubs. Flagg's performances in games leading up to Tuesday's setback have kept Dallas in the wider NBA conversation despite their historically poor season.