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The Dallas Mavericks will battle the Golden State Warriors on Sunday in San Francisco. It's a possible playoff preview as we share our NBA odds series with a Mavericks-Warriors prediction and pick.
The Mavericks lead the head-to-head series 93-84. Recently, the Warriors won a 120-117 thriller over the Mavs at home. The Mavericks are 6-4 over the past 10 games against the Warriors. Yet, the Warriors are 3-2 in the past five games at Oracle Arena.
Here are the Mavericks-Warriors NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Mavericks-Warriors Odds
Dallas Mavericks: -1.5 (-108)
Moneyline: -120
Golden State Warriors: +1.5 (-112)
Moneyline: +102
Over: 234 (-110)
Under: 234 (-110)
How To Watch Mavericks vs. Warriors
Time: 8:30 PM ET/5:30 PM PT
TV: NBA TV, KFAA and NBC Sports Bay Area
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Mavericks Could Cover the Spread/Win
This will be the second chance the Mavs get at the Warriors this season. Additionally, it will be another Klay Thompson revenge game as he heads into the arena, where he won several championships. Thompson played relatively well in the first going, scoring 22 points while shooting 7 for 17, including 6 for 12 from the triples. If there was one thing he would change, it was the foul trouble, as he had five.
The Mavs fell short in that game because they could not hit their three-point shots consistently. Additionally, they lost the board battle 50-40. Turning the ball over 17 times did not help.
In addition to fixing those messes, the Mavs could use some more from their best players. Specifically, Luka Doncic must take the reigns. While he did not play badly, there were some moments where he could have taken better shots. Doncic finished with 31 points while going 13 for 27, including 2 for 10 from the triples. However, he also turned the ball over five times.
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Kyrie Irving is another player that comes to mind when it comes to showing up and making things happen. Significantly, he scored 21 points while shooting 8 for 13 in that game. Yet, like Doncic, he was also sloppy with the basketball, turning the rock over five times. That needs to change to prevent the Mavs from losing another tight battle. Daniel Gafford was solid in that contest, scoring 15 points while shooting 7 for 8 from the floor.
Much of this game was lost in the third quarter, as the Mavs allowed the Warriors to outscore them by 11. Unfortunately, it turned a halftime lead into a seven-point deficit entering the fourth quarter.
The Mavericks will cover the spread if they can convert on their chances from beyond the arc. Additionally, they must avoid turning the rock over and win the board battle.
Why the Warriors Could Cover the Spread/Win
The recent loss to the Houston Rockets left a sting, and Draymond Green minced no words when reacting to the controversial call that decided the game. Green will turn his focus to the Mavs, the other Texas team (in addition to the San Antonio Spurs), and just as good. The Warriors will need to score numerous buckets to put the Mavs away.
Stephen Curry remains the focus and will look to beat his “splash brother” for the second time. Significantly, he had 37 points in his last outing while going 14 for 27 from the floor, including 5 for 12 from beyond the arc. Additionally, he had nine assists. The Warriors will not have the services of De'Anthony Melton, who tore his ACL and is out for the season. Andrew Wiggins has an ankle injury and is questionable for this game.
Buddy Hield will have to step up. Overall, he has done a good job doing this this season as he is averaging 14.5 points per game while shooting 45.6 percent from the floor, including 42.6 percent from beyond the arc. Green will also have to get rough around the edges and play tight defense to prevent the Mavs from going off.
The Warriors will cover the spread if Curry and Hield can spread the floor and convert their shots. Then, they must dominate the boards and prevent the Mavs from getting second chances.
Final Mavericks-Warriors Prediction & Pick
The Mavericks are 14-10-1 against the spread, while the Warriors are 15-9 against the odds. Moreover, the Mavericks are 7-6-1 against the spread on the road, while the Warriors are 7-4 against the odds at home. The Mavericks are 9-7-1 against the spread when facing the Western Conference, while the Warriors are 12-7 against the odds when facing the West.
The Mavericks are slightly healthier right now. Because of that, I can see the Mavs going into San Francisco and beating the Warriors on the road, covering the spread in the process.
Final Mavericks-Warriors Prediction & Pick: Dallas Mavericks -1.5 (-108)
