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The NBA season continues on Friday night. The Dallas Mavericks will hit the road and face off against the San Antonio Spurs. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Mavericks-Spurs prediction and pick.
These two teams have had different starts to the season. Through 11 games the Mavericks are 7-4 but are coming off a disappointing loss. The Spurs, on the other hand, are 4-7 and are coming off a dominant victory. This should be an interesting game.
Here's how the bookmakers have set the odds for the Mavericks-Spurs Friday night matchup.
NBA Odds: Mavericks-Spurs Odds
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Dallas Mavericks: -3.5 (-106)
San Antonio Spurs: +3.5 (-114)
Over: 219 (-110)
Under: 219 (-110)
Why The Mavericks Could Cover The Spread
The Dallas Mavericks are a tough team. They have a lot of talent and if they can stay healthy throughout the season they should be able to make a playoff run. Dallas is coming off a very disappointing loss. The Mavericks lost to the Bulls 117-107 on Wednesday night. The Bulls are a very good team and the Mavs had the lead or made it close for the majority of the night. Dallas will need to come into Friday's matchup ready to take care of business if they want to walk away with a win.
Leading the way for the Mavericks is Luka Doncic. Luka is a phenomenal basketball player, but his struggles against the Bulls were a big reason for this team's loss. Doncic dropped 20 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds. For Luka that is nothing special, which is really saying something. He has the ability to contribute even more, and if he shoots the ball efficiently on Friday then the Mavs should have this one in the bag. Doncic is truly a difference maker for Dallas and will play a big part in Friday's game.
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By Luka's side is Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis has finally returned to action after a five game absence and has been a huge help for Dallas. In their loss to Chicago the unicorn dropped 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. His production and playing time has slowly been ramped up since his return. Now that Porzingis is playing 30+ minutes and seems to be fully healthy there's no telling what this Dallas team can do. The Doncic-Porzingis duo is as good as any if not better than most. If Porzingis can keep up what he's been doing then the Mavs should have no problem getting a win on the road.
Why The Spurs Could Cover The Spread
The San Antonio Spurs are a better team than their record suggests. They are coming off a 19 point win over the Sacramento Kings. The Kings are a solid team and San Antonio completely dismantled them. In the Spurs' last match against the Mavs they lost by only one point. San Antonio should feel pretty good coming into this game. If they are able to carry the momentum from their last win into this match then they could give Dallas a tough time.
The leader of this Spurs team is Dejounte Murray. Murray took a big step forward last season and seems to have taken an even bigger one this year. He is coming off a 20 point, 11 rebound, and 7 assist game where he also managed 3 steals. Murray has been a difference maker for the Spurs. The sixth year guard is averaging career highs across the board. Murray has emerged as a leader for San Antonio. Expect a lot of the offense to flow through Murray and if he is making shots and good decisions the Spurs could win this one.
A big part of the Spurs last win was the performance of their bench. Four bench players combined for 62 points and really gave San Antonio an edge. The Mavs have a better starting lineup than San Antonio, but the Spurs could make up a lot of ground through their bench. For example Thaddeus Young, who had a very slow start to the season, has finally picked things up and is starting to hit shots. This Spurs team is very well coached and a big part of this game will come down to the performance of their bench.
Final Mavericks-Spurs Prediction & Pick
This is honestly not an easy decision. The Mavericks are definitely the better team and will have a better record by the end of the season. But the Spurs are in kind of a groove and really had an impressive outing in their last game. Even so, Dallas should be able to cover on this one. It's not too wide a spread and the Mavericks will be looking to send a message after a tough loss to Chicago. Pick Dallas to win and cover.
FINAL MAVERICKS-SPURS PICK: Dallas Mavericks -3.5 (-106)
FINAL MAVERICKS-SPURS SCORE PREDICTION: Mavericks 108 – Spurs 102
