The best-of-seven Western Conference Finals head back to the desert for another typical wild-west showdown. Dallas is just one victory away from its first-ever trip to the NBA Finals, while Phoenix is hoping for its third Game 7 this postseason.

Game 6 has been installed as a ‘pick’ at many Las Vegas casinos, with a total of 211. Phoenix is a slight one-point home ‘chalk’ at a couple sportsbooks, most notably the Mirage and Stratosphere. TNT will provide coverage of Saturday’s contest beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET.



Dallas (71-27 straight up, 50-46 against the spread) took a 3-2 series lead compliments of Thursday’s victory over the Suns as a 6 1/2-point home favorite, 117-101. The combined 218 points eclipsed the 209-point closing total, snapping a string of three consecutive ‘under’ outings. That was the lowest total attached to this series, while Game 2 and 3 saw the highest totals posted at 222.

Dirk Nowitzki netted 22 of his Mavericks playoff-record 50 points in the decisive fourth quarter that turned a close contest into a blowout. Dallas outscored Phoenix in the final stanza, 35-20, while also enjoying a sizeable rebounding advantage during the game, 49-35.

Nowitzki also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds, while forward Josh Howard pitched in with 23 and seven. The Mavericks prevailed by shooting 47 percent (42-of-89) from the field, and a lethal 53 percent (9-of-17) from behind the arc.

Dallas is an unblemished 24-0 when Howard scores 20 points or more. The Suns maintain a spotless 4-0 record this postseason in elimination games, three of which occurred against the Lakers.

Phoenix (64-37 SU, 55-45 ATS) had five players reach double digits in scoring, but the team was unable to slow down Nowitzki. That marked the second 50-point scorer this postseason, with Kobe Bryant torching the Suns during the first round of the playoffs. Forward Tim Thomas poured in 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting, while point guard Steve Nash added 20 and 11 assists.

Dallas sports a 31-18 SU and 24-23 ATS road record, winning those affairs by an average score of 97-95. The Mavericks are 1-1 at Phoenix this postseason after taking Game 3 as a one-point underdog, 95-88.

Phoenix takes the court this postseason for the 20th time, hoping to improve its 38-13 SU and 28-23 ATS home ledger. The Suns, winning those matchups by an average score of 110-101, have seen the ‘over’ go 28-22 when playing at US Airways Center.