NBA Handicapping Predictions – Knicks vs Mavs
Jeremy Lin lit up the Mavs in his last outing against them, but he has struggled lately, as the Knicks (18-19) have lost 2 straight road games.
Venue/ Stadium: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
Time/Date: 8:30 PM EST Tuesday, March 6, 2012
NCAA Odds From: Bovada
Moneyline: OFF
Spread (ATS): Knicks -2.5
Over/Under: 191.5
New York Knicks vs. Dallas Mavericks Preview
The Mavs (22-17) are only 4-6 in their last 10 games and while they lost last night they were on the road and were facing the Oklahoma City Thunder. NBA lines have the Mavs as 2.5-point home favorites with a total of 191.5.
In their last games the Mavs lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder 95-91 and the Knicks lost to the Boston Celtics 115-111.
This season the Mavs are 21-18 ATS with an O/U record of 16-23 and the Knicks are 17-20 ATS with an O/U record of 12-25.
Even though Tyson Chandler is now in a Knicks’ uniform the Mavs are winning their 5th ranked defense and they must play good D since their offense only ranks 18th in the league in scoring.[soliloquy id=”82219″]
Chandler (11.6 ppg 9.8 rpg) has played well this season for New York and he may have an easier time in the paint tonight, as Dallas’ C Brendan Haywood is questionable for tonight’s game with an ankle injury.
The Mavs were not happy last night not getting many calls from the refs, as they only took a grand total of 10 free throws. In tonight’s game they will have to be more aggressive and get to the charity stripe and not just settle for jumpers.
Dirk Nowitzki has been playing well since coming back from missing some time and he, Jason Terry, and Shaun Marion will be counted on for offense in this game.
Carmelo Anthony has not meshed that well with the new look Knicks with Jeremy Lin at the helm averaging 3 points less than his season average and shooting less than 42% in his last 5 games.
Lin has to get back on track in this game and not only score, but get his teammates involved and not turn the ball over, which he is prone to do.
In some betting trends for this non-conference match up the Knicks are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games as an underdog, 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record, and they have an Over record of 5-0 in their last 5 vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
The Mavs are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall, 3-7 ATS in their last 10 home games, and they have an Under record of 13-6 in their last 19 home games.
Jason’s Pick: The Knicks are better with Lin taking charge, but they are still 3-games under .500 on the road. The Mavs will bounce back after last night’s loss to the Thunder, as they will win tonight and cover the 2.5-point spread.
