Hornets vs. Mavs Betting Pick Game 2

[Shame About Ray]

NBA Betting – Hornets Looking For Repeat Win Over Mavs

The New Orleans Hornets, (57-26 SU, 51-30-2 ATS, 40-41-2 O/U), gave the older, more experienced Dallas Mavericks, (51-32 SU, 35-44-4 ATS, 39-42-2 O/U) something to think about on Sunday after emphatically laying the ‘smackdown’ on the Mavs, winning 104-92 as Hornets’ all-star point guard Chris Paul bombarded the Mavericks to the tune of a dazzling, 35 points, 10 assists and four steals in his NBA playoff debut.

More importantly, the Hornets got the job done on the defensive end and seem to realize that defense will be what carries them to their stated goal of winning the NBA Championship.

"I think they really do understand that defense does win championships," Hornets head coach Byron Scott said. "Defense has been our staple all season long."

New Orleans, which was ranked fifth in points allowed in the BetUS Sportsbook during the regular season, allowing 95.5 per contest, harassed the Mavericks into a pathetic 9-for-36 shooting mark, (25 percent) in the second half.

Mavericks head coach Avery Johnson said his team simply needs to shoot the ball better from the field.

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"More than anything, whatever changes we need to make, we need the ball to go in the basket more than 33 percent of the time,” Johnson said. “If the ball can go in the basket more than 33 percent of the time and we can get back to our normal production, then we think that will help our defense."

Here is a look at tonight’s key trends followed by my analysis and NBA Gambling Free Picks:

The Mavericks are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 playoff games as an underdog of 0.5-4.5.

The Mavericks are 14-3 ATS in their last 17 playoff games as an underdog.

The Hornets are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games as a home favorite of 0.5-4.5.

The Hornets are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 playoff games as a favorite of 0.5-4.5.

The Under is 4-0 in Mavericks last 4 games following a S.U. loss.

The Under is 4-0 in Hornets last 4 games following a S.U. win.

The Favorite is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.

The Home team is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 meetings.

Analysis: After watching these two teams in Game 1, I don’t think there’s any question who the better team in this series is. Unless the Mavericks find some way to beat the Hornets at home in this series, which I don’t think they can, they are going home in the first round for the second consecutive game.

The bottom line for this matchup is the fact that the Mavericks don’t have a single player on their roster who can stay in front of Chris Paul, including veteran all-star Jason Kidd, whom Paul beat time and time again.

The Hornets and their home crowd are going to be absolutely rocking for Game 2 and the Mavs are going down once again. Take the Hornets to cover the spread with room to spare.

NBA Free Picks: Hornets -3½ Points/Over 193 Total Points

07:00 PM EST NBA Odds

Dallas Mavericks +3½ -110
New Orleans Hornets -3½ -110
Over 193 -110
Under 193 -110