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Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors Cappers TNT NBA Preview & Free Pick

Mavericks vs Warriors NBA Handicapping

Is it too early to start asking if it’s too late?

The All-Star break is a few weeks down the road, and once that turn has been made, playoff hopefuls such as the Dallas Mavericks will have fewer than 30 games left to chase down Utah and/or Houston for one of the final Western Conference playoff spots.

Dallas Mavericks (19-26) at Golden State Warriors (28-17)
Thursday, Jan. 31
Oracle Arena, Oakland
10:30 p.m. EST
Odds: Mavs -3 & O/U is 205.5 at JustBet

Matchup | Preview 

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Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors Preview

Problem is, the Mavs are not alone. The Lakers are also gearing up for the stretch run, and Minnesota is also hanging around.

And before anyone can think about getting to the Jazz or Rockets, they have to get through Portland, where the Trail Blazers are starting to get hot and again making it hard for visitors to win in the Northwest.

So the Mavs – who are seven games under .500 — have plenty of heavy lifting ahead, including three more games on the road (at Golden State tonight, Phoenix, Oklahoma City) before heading back to Texas.

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Dallas is hoping that a decent showing tonight in the Bay Area will help remove the stink from Tuesday night’s bad loss in Portland, where the Mavs dominated play through most of the night before spitting up a 21-point third-period lead and a seven-point edge in the final 2:09 before losing to the Blazers at the buzzer.

Dallas even had the ball in the final seconds before O.J. Mayo was called for a charge, setting up a game-winning 18-footer by Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge.  [ad-6571516]

If there is a plus side to the maddening inconsistency that the Mavericks have shown of late, it is the improved play of Dirk Nowitzki as he rounds into full basketball shape after missing the first two months of the season due to injury. The Mavs go nowhere without Nowitzki at full throttle, and the big guy’s minutes and scoring are both returning to pre-injury level.

Golden State, meanwhile, is enjoying a brief respite at home in the midst of a road-centric schedule. The Warriors just finished a four-game swing through the Rust Belt, and after taking on the Mavs and Suns, 10 of the next 13 will be on the road as GS tries to maintain its standing among the Western Conference heavyweight contenders.

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It’s hard to keep track of all the injuries these two teams are dealing with. Golden State may be without Stephen Curry (thus no betting line as of early today), and Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes will probably both be sidelined as well. Dallas is shuffling its front line due to a concussion suffered by center Chris Kaman, who will be out indefinitely.

These teams put up 206 in their first meeting, but figure on something in the high 90s this time around.

MAVERICKS 97, WARRIORS 95.

By Lawrence Paul

Lawrence Paul is back in the saddle as a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog. He's got an AMAZING knack for predicting when a team will have a letdown! Stick with our resident gambling experts sports betting tips all season long!