We're here to bring you yet another prediction and pick for today's slate of action from the NBA. Our next matchup takes us to the East as we see a tilt between two cross-conference contenders. The Dallas Mavericks (9-3) will visit the Milwaukee Bucks (8-4) as both teams trend in the right direction. Check out our NBA odds series for our Mavericks-Bucks prediction and pick.

The Dallas Mavericks are currently first in the Southwest and they've won five of their last seven games heading into this contest. They've also scored more than 130 points in three of their last four, making them one of the highest-powered offenses in the league. They'll come into this game as the slightest of underdogs as they take on one of the East's best teams.

The Milwaukee Bucks are first in the Central Division and they've won their last three consecutive games heading into this meeting. They took down the Bulls, Raptors, and just blew out the Charlotte Hornets by 31 points while keeping them under the 100-point scoring total. Look for the Bucks to be the clear team in the driver's seat at home in this one.

Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Odds: Mavericks-Bucks Odds

Dallas Mavericks: +2 (-110)

Milwaukee Bucks: -2 (-110)

Over: 246.5 (-110)

Under: 246.5 (-110)

How to Watch Mavericks vs. Bucks

Time: 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT

TV: NBA TV, NBA League Pass

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Mavericks Could Cover The Spread

The Dallas Mavericks cruised to a double-digit win over the Washington Wizards in their last game and while Luka Doncic's scoring total wasn't as lofty as previous games, he still managed 10 assists and got his teammates involved in the scoring. The Mavericks shot around 40% from three and Tim Hardaway Jr. led the team with 31 points on a stellar night from the field. They haven't seen much of Kyrie Irving in their lineup this year due to nagging injuries, but there's promising indications he could make the start here. His play matched up against Damian Lillard will be a fun pairing to watch if the two buckle down on defense.

Luka Doncic will have a great matchup here and should continue to get his teammates involved in scoring easy buckets in the paint. Doncic may have to let it fly from three and spread the long defense of the Bucks' out, but he's always due for a great shooting performance if he can hit his first few shots. Dereck Lively will have to match up against Giannis Antetokounmpo and it'll be interesting to see how the young rookie handles himself in trying to find scoring opportunities against a stout Bucks defense.

Why The Bucks Could Cover The Spread

The Milwaukee Bucks are in a familiar groove and they've mounted this winning streak by taking care of teams they're much better against on paper. The Bucks will have the clear matchup advantages in this one and they have all the tools on defense to slow down the Mavericks offense. The Mavs have looked stagnant at times when struggling to find their rhythm on offense, so the Bucks should look to play hard defense and capitalize on any turnovers from Dallas. Milwaukee thrives when their opponent's offense begins to lag behind, so expect them to strike fast and get out to a lead in this one.

While the Bucks may have struggled in years past to contend with a scorer like Luka Doncic, the addition of Dame Lillard has been massive for their offense and he draws a ton of attention away from their front court. This allows Giannis and Brook Lopez to work inside the paint and grab offensive rebounds. If Dame Lillard can continue to play lights-out from beyond the arc, the Bucks could have a chance to run away with an easy win.

Final Mavericks-Bucks Prediction & Pick

This game will feature two high-powered offenses going at it, so it'll be interesting to see which defense can come up with the bigger stops late in the game. We'll favor the Milwaukee Bucks on the defensive end as they have the longer players and can slow the game down to their desired pace at home. If they can stop Luka's production, they put a serious kink in the motor of the Dallas offense.

For our prediction, we'll go with the Milwaukee Bucks to get the win at home. This game should be back-and-forth for most of its duration, but expect Milwaukee's defense to truly take a stand in the second half and lock down the paint for the Mavericks.

Final Mavericks-Bucks Prediction & Pick: Milwaukee Bucks -2 (-110)