The Dallas Mavericks host the Philadelphia 76ers for an interconference matchup! It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a 76ers-Mavericks prediction and pick.

The Sixers are in a good spot right now likely to finish as the 3rd or 4th seed in the Eastern Conference. They are (40-21) and are coming off a big win over the Miami Heat last night 119-96. The Sixers played so well that they dominated without MVP Candidate Joel Embiid. Tyrese Maxey and James Harden scored with ease as they faced a team that is really struggling. The Heat are almost dead in the water as they just can't score points to compete.

The Mavericks are not playing at the level we all thought they would when they acquired Kyrie Irving right before the trade deadline. In seven games with the Mavs, they are (3-4) and are coming off two straight losses. Irving is proving to still be an elite scoring option but he and Luka Doncic have yet to really “click.” Dallas (32-31) is 7th in the West after being 4th just a few weeks back. They are only two games behind the Phoenix Suns for the 4-seed but it will be tough to catch up to them. However, they do face off this weekend.

Here are the 76ers-Mavericks NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel

NBA Odds: 76ers-Mavericks Odds

Philadelphia 76ers: +3 (-114)

Dallas Mavericks: -3 (-106)

Over: 229 (-110)

Under: 229 (-110)

How To Watch 76ers vs. Mavericks

TV: TNT

Stream: TNT App

Time: 7:30 ET/4:30 PT

*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The 76ers Could Cover The Spread

Joel Embiid is probable for tonight as that is really all that matters for the Sixers. The current MVP runner-up in the race is the best-scoring big man in the NBA. We will witness the top two scorers tonight as Luka leads the NBA on the other side of the court. Doncic averages 33.2 per game and Embiid is right behind at 33.0 per game. He hasn't played since the 27th when they fell to the Miami Heat 101-99. Embiid scored over 23 points in every game during February and has done so in every game since Dec. 31 when he scored only 16 against OKC. The Mavericks defend better than most teams but don't expect them to contain Embiid tonight.

James Harden will be a deciding factor in this game tonight. He finally feels comfortable in Philly and it's starting to show. He should've been an All-Star but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter if he helps takes this team to the NBA Finals. Outside of one game, he has scored at least 20 points in very game since Feb. 5. He also leads the NBA in assists per game at 10.6 and should have no issue performing well in the state he used to play in.

Why The Mavericks Could Cover The Spread

Davis Bertans is the only player out tonight for the Mavs. It's been a rough stretch for Dallas as they have lost five of their last six games. Their only win was against a poor team in the San Antonio Spurs. They need a win badly. It won't come easy as they have to face what could be a healthy Embiid tonight.

Back on Tuesday night, the Indiana Pacers got the best of the Mavericks 124-122 as Luka scored 39 in the loss. Irving scored just 16, which won't cut it against the good teams. I'm sure Irving will bounce back. However, it won't matter how good Luka plays if Irving isn't almost as consistent. Kyrie is averaging 24.7 per game and adds 5.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game as well. They clearly have the best backcourt in the NBA and we will eventually start to see them click.

If they want to cover this spread against the Sixers then we need to see a huge game from Kyrie tonight. If he doesn't play well then don't expect them to keep up. The good news for Dallas is that they score roughly the same amount of points per game as the Sixers.

Final 76ers-Mavericks Prediction & Pick

With Embiid set to play, I like the Sixers' chances at covering three points on the road. Philly is also a lot better against the spread at (35-25-1) whereas Dallas is (22-38-3) ATS.

Final 76ers-Mavericks Prediction & Pick: 76ers +3 (-114)