Tuesday in the NBA continues as we bring you another betting prediction and pick for this upcoming Western Conference showdown. The Denver Nuggets (21-7) will visit the Dallas Mavericks (11-19) for their second meeting of the season, Dallas leading 1-0. Check our NBA odds series for the Nuggets-Mavericks prediction and pick.
The Denver Nuggets are currently third in the Western Conference standings, most recently defeating the Utah Jazz 135-112. They've gotten hot with seven wins over their last eight games, coming into this road test looking to even things up against the Mavericks in their series.
The Dallas Mavericks are 11th in the Western Conference, dropping their most recent game 119-113 to the New Orleans Pelicans. They've managed a 6-4 record over their last 10 games and with Cooper Flagg growing into their franchise cornerstone, he'll look for another big game against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.
NBA odds courtesy of DraftKings
Nuggets vs. Mavericks Odds
Denver Nuggets: -6.5 (-118)
Dallas Mavericks: +6.5 (-102)
Over: 237.5 (-112)
Under: 237.5 (-108)
Nuggets vs. Mavericks Key Injuries
Denver: NOT YET SUBMITTED (update to come)
Dallas: NOT YET SUBMITTED (update to come)
Nuggets vs. Mavericks Betting Trends
- The Dallas Mavericks are 8-9 at home. The Denver Nuggets are 12-2 on the road.
- The Mavericks are 14-16 ATS overall, 9-8 ATS at home. The Nuggets are 17-11 ATS overall, 9-5 ATS at home.
- The Nuggets are 19-5 as betting favorites. The Mavericks are 7-14 as underdogs.
- The Nuggets are 2-1 outright, 2-1 ATS in their last three games against the Mavericks.
- The Nuggets are 4-1 ATS in their last five games.
- The Mavericks are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games as underdogs.
- The total has gone OVER in five of the Mavericks' last seven games.
Keys to Nuggets vs. Mavericks Matchup
Anthony Davis returned for the Dallas Mavericks for his second game of the season to face the Denver Nuggets during their first meeting, scoring 32 points and adding a team-high 13 rebounds to his total as well. The great night from Davis overshadowed a 29-point, 20-rebound, 13-assist triple-double from Nikola Jokic as Spencer Jones was the only other Nuggets' player to score 20 or more points. With the Mavericks playing much better basketball than they were, the Nuggets will need more players to step up and handle some of the focus away from Jokic.
Both Cooper Flagg and Anthony Davis have taken turns leading the Mavericks in scoring for the last six consecutive games, immediately creating an impact with their two-man play in the low post. Flagg has officially arrived and while he's averaging 18.7 PPG, he's surpassed that total in four of his last five games, including a 42-point outburst just last week. Look for the Mavericks to get Flagg involved early as Anthony Davis handles Jokic as the defensive assignment.
The Nuggets have also been playing some of their best basketball during this stretch, jumping out to a 19-0 lead in their last game and never looking back against the Utah Jazz. Their defense has always been a staple of the team's identity, but their offense leads the NBA in total rating (123.8) and they have the highest assist-turnover ratio (2.2) in the league. Much of this is due to the efficient nature of Nikola Jokic with the ball in his hands, so the Mavericks should focus on making this a sloppy game in creating turnovers and denying Jokic free reign over the offense.
This Mavericks' team is a completely new squad with Anthony Davis on the floor and it'll be interesting to see how big his impact is on defense throughout this one. Though he's only played in 14 games this season, he's already averaged 1.6 blocks per game while adding 11.6 rebounds per game, so expect him to have a significant role in controlling the paint if the Mavericks want to win the game.
Nuggets vs. Mavericks Prediction and Pick
The Dallas Mavericks stole the first meeting between these two teams and with Anthony Davis back in the lineup, they stand a serious chance to go up 2-0 on the Denver Nuggets for the season. However, Denver is also playing well at the moment and they're certainly the team with the deeper roster, so it'll be interesting to see how long they keep this a close game and whether or not the Nuggets begin to pull away in the second half.
A close game down the stretch would certainly be fun to watch as Anthony Davis and Nikola Jokic score in clutch time for their teams, but we have to favor Nikola Jokic and the success of the Nuggets on the road this season. Exepct him to lead them to a victory here as we could be in for a high-scoring game that potentially calls for an overtime period.
Final Nuggets-Mavericks Prediction & Pick: Denver Nuggets -6.5 (-118); OVER 237.5 (-112)
