Free NBA Pick: Jazz vs. Mavericks NBA Odds
Looking for Utah Jazz vs. Dallas Mavericks free NBA picks & NBA odds? NBA betting sees the Jazz taking on the Mavericks on Monday, April 18th, 2022 at American Airlines Center. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NBA basketball matchups so stay tuned for more FREE daily NBA hoops predictions like this Jazz Mavericks matchup.
2022 NBA Playoffs Handicapping Round 1
(1-0) Utah Jazz vs. Dallas Mavericks (0-1)
Date: Monday, April 18th
Time: 8:30 PM EST
Venue: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
NBA Moneyline Odds: Jazz -206 | Mavericks +195 (Bet Now!)
NBA Betting Odds: Jazz -5.5
NBA Betting Total: 205.5
Monday, April 18th the fifth-place Utah Jazz and fourth place Dallas Mavericks play Game 2 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series. The Jazz won a low scoring 99-93 competitive first game.
The clubs split the 2021-22 season series with Utah winning 120-116 on December 25th and 114-109 on February 25th while Dallas won 111-103 on March 7th and 114-100 on March 27th.
Utah holds the all-time record having bested the Mavericks in 106 of their 183 regular-season matches but the Mavericks possess the postseason edge (6-3) having won two prior first-round series in 1986 (3-1) and 2001 (3-2)
Utah Jazz
For those questioning how deep the Jazz can go in this postseason they may have collected the win in Game 1, but they didn’t do it in convincing fashion.
Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points but it took him 29 shots to get there getting helped by 11 free throw attempts. Bojan Bogdanovic was far more efficient shooting 11 of 20 for 26 points.
Yet, there is something plaguing about this Jazz team. The obvious red flashing light on the box score was Rudy Gobert having one field goal attempt.
While they have depth and constancy they do not look a team that is bonded. Watch their interactions on the court and you won’t find the typical joy evident.
In every other playoff game this weekend fans bore witness to outward joy and celebration between teammates. Heck, even the Mavericks who lost displayed more togetherness than the Jazz.
Utah got hella lucky with Doncic being hurt because I think this might’ve been a gentleman’s sweep of the Jazz otherwise. Instead, they may end up stealing this series if Luka can’t return but I have major doubts they’ll fare well in the second round.
Trent Forrest (foot) is out Saturday versus the Mavericks. Udoka Azubuike (ankle) is done for the season.
Dallas Mavericks
Game 1 might have been the Mavericks’ best shot at winning without Luka Doncic as they kept the Jazz under 100 points which is significant given Utah possess the top-ranked offense averaging 113.6 points per match.
Although the Mavericks showcased their stellar defense their task isn’t just replicating those efforts to keep the Jazz in check but they’ll need to find more scoring panache while Doncic is sidelined if they have any hope of staying in the series until their superstar returns.
Five Mavericks reached double-digit scoring led by Jalen Brunson with 24 and Spencer Dinwiddie with 22 points. However, while this guard duo is the perfect compliments to Luka they aren’t built for the primary scoring role long term.
Case in point, that combo attempted 39 shots but hit an inefficient 15 of 39 or 38.4 percent. Quin Snyder will be seeking to limit their production after film review and I’m not sure having Brunson attempt 24 shots is conducive to multiple wins anyway.
The trio of Reggie Bullock (15), Dorian Finney-Smith (14), and Maxi Kleber (10) helped but aren’t likely to score much more than their Game 1 efforts.
As for Luka and that calf he participated in practice on Sunday but only doing light shooting and is doubtful for Monday with reports saying there would need to be significant improvement for that status to change.
Frank Ntilikina (illness) is also out while Tim Hardaway Jr.(foot) is out indefinitely.
NBA Betting Trends:
- Utah is 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 games.
- Dallas is 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 games.
- The total has gone UUNDER in 4 of Utah’s last 6 games.
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of Dallas’ last 8 games.
- Jazz are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 playoff games as a favorite.
- The Mavericks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a home underdog.
Free Utah Jazz vs. Dallas Mavericks NBA Prediction:
Neither club shot well in the opener which in fairness probably was partially tied to the 1:00 pm EST start time. Game 2 should witness improvements specifically for the Jazz.
Losing both games at home would be far from ideal for Dallas but if Doncic can return for Thursday and be close to 100 percent the dynamics shift dramatically.
That said, it would behoove the Mavericks to win this game as it might buy Luka some extra time to get healthier and take the pressure off his return date.
It feels like this should be a gimme for the Jazz but that on court body language is sticking with me. Let’s see if Jason Kidd can summon a “Win one for the Gipper (The Don) speech” to motivate his Mavs to a much needed victory.
4* Free NBA Betting Pick: Mavericks +5
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