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Saving one of the best NBA games for last on Friday night's slate, the Milwaukee Bucks head down to the Lone Star State to take on the Dallas Mavericks in a game between two of the league's top scorers. Join us for our NBA odds series where our Bucks-Mavericks prediction and pick will be revealed.
Winners of three-consecutive games in rather convincing fashion, the Bucks go to Texas with an extreme amount of confidence. Not only have they embarked on a fresh winning streak, but Milwaukee sits with a record of 18-6 and is in firm control of the two-seed out east.
As for Dallas, the Mavs are coming off of a stupendous last-second road win over the Denver Nuggets that could end up being a gigantic victory when the season is all but concluded in April. Like the Bucks, the Mavericks are also in the midst of a three-game winning streak that has included triumphant victories over some of the top overall squads in the Western Conference.
Here are the Bucks-Mavericks NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Bucks-Mavericks Odds
Milwaukee Bucks: -1 (-108)
Dallas Mavericks: -1 (-112)
Over: 224.5 (-110)
Under: 224.5 (-110)
Why The Bucks Could Cover The Spread
We are starting to run out of words when watching the “Greek Freak” himself in Giannis Antetokounmpo, as the NBA superstar was not human in his 35-point outing against the Kings on Wednesday. Not only did the 28-year-old go bezerk with a mind-blowing 63% shooting clip from the field. As it stands, there may not be a better player in the entire world than him, as he has scored at least 30 points in five-straight games and is second only to Luka Doncic in points per game with a 32.1 mark.
With some obvious fireworks likely to occur Giannis and company, the biggest focus that Milwaukee will need to hone in on will be on the defensive end of the court. Currently, Milwaukee boasts the third-best defensive unit in the league as they are only allowing opponents to score 108 points per game.
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Not to mention, the Bucks are also receiving outstanding play from point guard Jrue Holiday. Always a respected player throughout his career, Holiday has turned it up a notch this year in his ability to dish out assists. Averaging the eighth-most assists per game with 7.4 a contest, Holiday is becoming the glue that holds together this roster.
Another reason why Milwaukee may end up improving upon their 14-9 record against the spread will be because of a clean bill of health. With the return of Kris Middleton to the lineup last Friday, an already potent Bucks squad has become even more lethal within a week of play.
Why The Mavericks Could Cover The Spread
Although the Mavericks only come into Friday with a slightly above-average 13-11 record, the recent surge of winning has given the Mavericks the belief that they can contend with anyone they go up against. Simply put, for a team that is on the verge of breaking out with an MVP candidate superstar play running the show, those were exactly the type of wins Dallas has to come up with to be more respected around the league.
With that being said, the Mavericks are in for one of their biggest tests versus a dominant Milwaukee crew that does not shoot themselves in the foot very often. When it comes to finding a way to cover, other than letting Luka Doncic do his thing, finding open looks for Tim Hardaway Jr. could prove to be just as valuable. Over the course of the past couple of weeks in the NBA, few to no shooters have been as hot as Hardaway has been from way downtown. In fact, Hardaway has connected on a whopping 30 three-pointers in his previous five games played including at least five three's made in each of those contests. Simply put, for a player whose season average in points sits around 13.0, the recent stretch of play from Dallas' 30-year-old small forward has been a welcoming sign to say the least.
Other than finding ways to get the offense going, the Mavericks can leave their mark in this one by playing stingy defense like they have been doing all season long. Overall, Dallas can surely take over this game by creating turnovers and using the home crowd's energy to fuel them when they need it the most. Going hand in hand, the Mavericks average the least amount of turnovers with only 12.5 per contest.
Final Bucks-Mavericks Prediction & Pick
At first glance, the Mavericks have been underwhelming to say the least with an 8-15 record ATS, but the fact that they are at home where they have gone 10-3 overall and should use the extra day of rest to their benefit, Dallas will be primed and ready to take care of business.
Final Bucks-Mavericks Prediction & Pick: Mavericks -1 (-112)
