It is a possible Western Conference first-round series preview as the Utah Jazz head to Texas to take on the Dallas Mavericks. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Jazz-Mavericks prediction and pick.

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The Jazz fell 107-101 to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night in North Carolina. Donovan Mitchell led the way with 26 points. He went 10-of-21 from the field and hit four of his 11 3-point attempts.

However, the rest of the starters struggled in terms of scoring, putting up just 42 points combined. Rudy Gobert managed 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting. He was a force on the boards, pulling down 19 rebounds. Additionally, Jordan Clarkson sparked the Jazz off the bench, scoring 19 points on 7-of-18 shooting. However, he struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 2-of-9.

The Jazz lost the battle on the boards, getting outrebounded 45-38. Utah is slumping at the worst time. The Jazz have lost three in a row and are 1-3 on this six-game road trip.

The Mavericks lost 116-95 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. Luka Doncic scored 24 points, shooting 8-of-18 from the field and 5-of-11 from the 3-point line. Doncic also gobbled up 10 rebounds.

In contrast, his teammates did not play well.

Dallas shot 38.9 percent collectively from the field. Even worse, the Mavs shot 23.3 percent from beyond the arc. The defense also suffered in a big way. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 20 points against the Mavs as Minnesota shot 51.2 percent from the field as a unit. Dallas has also slumped recently, losing three of five.

Although Dallas has struggled, the playoffs are around the corner. The Jazz and Mavericks have identical records (45-29) and are battling for the fourth seed in the Western Conference.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Jazz-Mavericks odds.

NBA Odds: Jazz-Mavericks Odds

Jazz: +1 (-112)

Mavericks: -1 (-108)

Over: 214 (-110)

Under: 214 (-110)

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Why The Jazz Could Cover The Spread

Utah is trying to win the season series for a sixth consecutive season. Utah is 15-5 in its last 20 regular-season games against Dallas. In other words, this series has been one-sided in recent memory. However, this game serves more importance as a possible first-round showdown looms. The Jazz likely will have to get by the Mavericks to advance in the playoffs, and it all starts with Mitchell and Gobert.

In the two wins against the Mavs, Mitchell scored 33 points in each game. The Jazz controlled the tempo, and Mitchell carried them to victory. Unsurprisingly, Mitchell struggled in the 111-103 loss a few weeks ago. He managed just 17 points, shooting a paltry 5-of-19 from the field.

Additionally, Bojan Bogdanovic scored 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting. He will not play on Sunday because of a calf injury, so the Jazz will rely even more on Mitchell. Gobert had 17 rebounds in one of the two wins over the Jazz and needs to carry the weight and pull down every rebound.

The Jazz will cover if Mitchell can put up buckets in spurts and Gobert can clamp on Doncic. Utah needs Mitchell to carry the pace and outpace the Mavs. They need Gobert to be the force on the inside and prevent Doncic from doing too much damage.

Why The Mavericks Could Cover The Spread

The Mavericks have struggled in the recent regular-season history against Utah, but they are 25-12 at home and have done well against Utah in front of their fans. The Mavs have won two in a row and three out of four against the Jazz in their last four regular-season home games.

Doncic is obviously the key for Dallas.

Doncic leads the Mavs with 27.8 points per game. He is also averaging 9.1 rebounds and 8.4 assists on the season. Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith have backed Doncic up with excellent production. In the 111-103 win over Utah, Dinwiddie scored 23 points with five triples. Additionally, Finney-Smith scored 21 points, hitting four 3-pointers.

The Mavs do not rank highly in many team categories. However, they are third in turnovers and will often win the turnover battle. The key to this game is to force Mitchell, Gobert, and the Jazz into mistakes.

Dallas will cover the spread if Doncic can dominate and the Mavericks can force Utah into making mistakes. Dinwiddie and Finney-Smith must support Doncic to take the pressure off him.

Final Jazz-Mavericks Prediction & Pick

Bogdanovic is important, so Utah not being able to use him will hurt. The Mavericks are trying to even up the series. Dallas hopes to gain momentum heading into what likely will be a first-round meeting in a couple of weeks. Both teams are slumping, but the Mavs have the home-court advantage and the slightly healthier team. The Mavs will cover the spread.

Final Jazz-Mavericks Prediction & Pick: Mavericks -1 (-108)