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Wednesday night in the Association will feature this great interconference matchup! It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Mavericks-Knicks prediction and pick.
Both of these teams have sad somewhat similar seasons, but so far, it's going a little better for the Dallas Mavericks. Dallas is 22-18 on the season which puts them in the five spot in the West. They are coming off of a win against the Chicago Bulls 113-99 and have won six-straight games. This streak has been much-needed for them to put themselves back into the playoff picture. For the New York Knicks, it's been a miserable start to the season. They are 20-21 which puts them 11th in the East, right behind the Boston Celtics. The Knicks need this win to go back to .500 and where they hope to not go below again.
Here are the Mavericks-Knicks NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Mavericks-Knicks Odds
Dallas Mavericks: -2.5 (-106)
New York Knicks: +2.5 (-114)
Over: 204 (-106)
Under: 204 (-114)
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Why The Mavericks Could Cover This Spread
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With the way the Mavs are playing right now, they should be able to cover this spread easily. They just beat the top team in the East last time out without Kristaps Porzingis. He will likely miss this game as well against his former team. It was have been fun to see him tear up the team that had a lot of mixed emotions about him. Although, the Knicks seem just fine with his replacement in Julius Randle, but do the fans agree? Randle and the fans of New York have been having tension lately, but I'm sure once the Knicks start winning again all the drama will disappear.
The Mavericks need to stop Randle and the Knicks' 3-point shooting. They have a bunch of young guards who can spread the floor but will be without Kemba Walker. That makes it a little easier for the Mavs to defend. Walker has had an up-and-down year for the Knicks, but one thing is for sure, he can take over any game when hot. The Mavs need to make sure that their defense shows up because the Knicks can create a real problem if they aren't careful. Luka Doncic will likely play well, and if he doesn't, then that will be a bad sign for the Mavs.
Why The Knicks Could Cover This Spread
The Knicks need to do everything in their power to shut down Doncic. That is a tough task to do, but one that they are capable of doing. On the defensive end, they need to throw different defenders on him and assure that he isn't being guarded by the same player. The Knicks don't defend very well individually and so it will take a group effort to contain him. But they do defend well as a team. They won't be facing Porzingis, but the Mavs still have plenty of depth to win games. New York is facing the Mavs at Dallas' best right now and so it will take a well-played game to knock them off.
New York is just 10-11 at home in Madison Square Garden. The Mavs are 11-10 on the road and so Dallas has the slight edge. Both teams are doing well in their last 10 games, with a winning record. Dallas is holding their opponents to just 99 points per game over their last 10, and that is a great sign. If the Mavs can continue their hot defensive run, then the Knicks are going to be in a lot of trouble. The good news for the Knicks is that they hold their opponents to just 99 points in their last 10 games also. This could be the battle of the defense in this one.
Final Mavericks-Knicks Prediction & Pick
This is a tricky game to choose because of the way both teams are playing. I expect the Mavericks to continue their hot run of success so I'm going to pick them to cover this spread and beat the Knicks on the road. I think the over/under is a bit small even though both defenses are playing well. Doncic in NY means something else, expect a higher-scoring game than they are used to.
Final Mavericks-Knicks Prediction & Pick: Mavericks -2.5 (-106) & over: 204 (-106)
