The Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks go head-to-head in Vegas! It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Mavericks-Bucks prediction and pick.
It's been a rough summer for the Mavs as they are (0-3) in this tournament. With this being their final game for both teams, it proves to be a crucial one as both teams are fighting for a better seed. The Bucks are (2-1) and so a win tonight would give them one of the higher seeds, and a loss for the Mavs might put them last. The Phoenix Suns whooped the Mavs in the last game 105-78. The Bucks are coming off of a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves 87-75 last night.
Here are the Mavericks-Bucks Summer League odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Summer League Odds: Mavericks-Bucks Odds
Dallas Mavericks: +2.5 (-110)
Milwaukee Bucks: -2.5 (-110)
Over: 179.5 (-110)
Under: 179.5 (-110)
*Watch NBA Games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)
Why The Mavericks Could Cover The Spread
It's simple. The Mavs will need to play a lot better if they want a chance at covering this spread. Dallas scored a combined 25 points in the first half but did play better in the second in the blowout loss. Jerrick Harding led the team in scoring with 20 points off the bench. He played very well and basically outplayed the entire starting five. The Mavs starting five shot 9-37 and combined for only five assists. The Suns dominated that game and so the Mavericks will need to come out with a different game plan tonight.
Article Continues BelowThe good news for this team is their first two losses each game by one point. They have proven to be in the game toward the end so if they can start off the game a little better than their previous three games then that might give them enough to hold on. A.J Lawson scored 28 in their first game, so look for him to help Harding keep them in the game. This is summer league, you never know what you are going to get out of these young stars. With the elimination games approaching, the Mavs know they must improve.
Why The Bucks Could Cover The Spread
The Bucks will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back. They come in as the favorites which is the right call. Milwaukee handled the Timberwolves Wednesday night and didn't really allow them to keep it close in the fourth quarter. A great 4th quarter from the Bucks allowed them to hold on for the win as they only allowed 12 points.
A man from the country of Georgia who has a name that is difficult to pronounce … has been the star of the show for the Bucks. Sandro Mamukelashvili is the talk of the town in Milwaukee right now. He's been the leading scorer not only for the Bucks this summer but is 7th in the Vegas League in scoring averaging 21 points per game. He scored 17 against the Brooklyn Nets, 28 against the Boston Celtics, and then 18 against the T-Wolves.
If the second-year man can continue his run of scoring then the Bucks should be able to win this game with ease and cover the spread.
Final Mavericks-Bucks Prediction & Pick
Give me Mamukelashvili and the Bucks to cover this spread and improve to (3-1) in Vegas! The Bucks know that a win here would give them an easier path to the finals during the elimination games.
Final Mavericks-Bucks Prediction & Pick: Bucks -2.5 (-110)