NBA Handicapping Predictions – Mavs vs Warriors
Until someone knocks them off, the Dallas Mavericks are still the defending NBA Champions. Dallas has struggled all year, and they aren’t even guaranteed a playoff spot quite yet.
NBA Basketball Matchup: Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors
10:30 PM EST on TNT
NBA Gambling Odds from Bookmaker
NBA Betting Favorite: Dallas -5.5
Over/Under: 195
They did win Wednesday night against the Kings, but this team has to find another gear if they are going to make another run for a title.
Golden State is out of the playoff running, but first-year coach Mark Jackson has this team playing hard to the finish.
Dallas got rid of Lamar Odom earlier this week after a terribly disappointing season from the Sixth Man of the Year from last season. Dirk Nowitzki is averaging his lowest point total per game since the 1999-2000 season, which was his second season in the league.
He shot 51% from the floor last year, and this season he is shooting 45.5%. Vince Carter started the season red hot, but he has cooled off substantially of late. As a team Dallas is shooting just 44.1% from the floor.
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The offensive inefficiency of the Mavericks has held them back all year. Defensively, they are giving up just 93.5 points per game.
Golden State has been playing short-handed for quite a while now. Stephen Curry may miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury. The Warriors traded away Monta Ellis at the trade deadline and grabbed Andrew Bogut, but he is out for the season with an ankle injury.
David Lee leads the team in both scoring and rebounding this year. Lee is putting up 19.9 points per game and grabbing 9.5 boards per contest.
Rookie Klay Thompson is getting a lot more playing time of late. Thompson could be a major part of this team’s future. Golden State leads the NBA in three-point field goal percentage at 38.8%.
The team’s biggest weakness has been on the glass, where they are outrebounded almost every night.
When Dallas traveled to Golden State in March, the Warriors ran them out of the building 111-87. The Mavericks are just 5-15-1 ATS in their last 21 at Golden State. I like the Warriors to keep this very close.
Prediction: Dallas 98 Golden State 96
