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The NBA season continues on Friday. The Dallas Mavericks will hit the road and take on the Indiana Pacers. It’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Mavericks-Pacers prediction and pick.
These two teams have had similar starts to the season. The Dallas Mavericks are 12-12 and are coming off a solid win. While the Indiana Pacers are 11-16 and have won their last two games. This should be an interesting match up between two competitive teams.
Here are the odds for the Mavericks-Pacers Friday night NBA matchup, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Mavericks-Pacers Odds
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Dallas Mavericks: +2 (-106)
Indiana Pacers: -2 (-114)
Over: 212.5 (-110)
Under: 212.5 (-110)
Why The Mavericks Could Cover The Spread
The Dallas Mavericks have been struggling to excel this season. Through their first 24 games they have won exactly half of them. Some nights this team catches fire and dominates opponents, other nights they can’t seem to get anything going. Dallas did manage, however, to take down the Memphis Grizzlies, winning 104 -96. This was a solid win for the Mavericks who had lost their three previous games. The Mavs will look to carry that momentum into a tough match on Friday.
Dallas was dominant across most categories in their win over Memphis. They took 13 less shots than the Grizzlies, but made them at a much higher percentage. The Mavericks shot over 36% from behind the arc and over 48% from the field. They also managed to out rebound the Grizzlies by 7. Where they fell behind was in steals and turnovers. Dallas only got 5 steals throughout the game while the Grizzlies had 14. Additionally, the Mavs had 18 turnovers. Turnovers can be very costly and Dallas was lucky to come out ahead, they will need to keep up the scoring and rebound efficiency if they hope to win on Friday.
Leading the way for this Mavericks team is Luka Doncic. Luka is one of the best all around players in the league, and it shows on a nightly basis. Against the Grizzlies, Luka had 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. This type of stat line is not far at all from his season averages. Doncic averages over 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists a game. In only his fourth season in the NBA he is a difference maker. If Luka has a big game on the road then the Mavs could easily come out ahead.
Why The Pacers Could Cover The Spread
The Indiana Pacers have been having a very interesting season. Indiana has been a competitive team, but some one score games just didn’t go their way and that is reflected in their record. The Pacers have actually been very solid. Through their first 27 games they have only 11 wins, one of which came in their last game. Indiana is coming off a 20 point victory of the New York Knicks. They were dominant in that game and will look to bring some of that energy into another tough match up. Indiana should be able to rise to the occasion and bring their win streak to two.
Indiana dominated just about every category in their win over the Knicks. The Pacers scored 122 points while the Knicks only managed to put up 102. Perhaps their most impressive statistic from that game was their shooting efficiency. The Pacers shot the same amount of total shots as the Knicks, but shot them at a much higher percentage. Indiana shot nearly 54% from the field on 86 total shots, and shot 37% from beyond the arc on 27 attempts. They also had more rebounds and assists than New York, while turning the ball over at a lower rate. If Indiana can perform at that level on Friday, then they should be able to get the win at home.
The leader of this Pacers team is Domantas Sabonis. While the scoring in their win over New York was actually divided pretty evenly among the team, Sabonis always manages to do his part. The big man scored 21 points, grabbed 11 boards, and dished out 5 assists. What’s even more impressive is that he only took 8 shots, of which he made 7. Sabonis has been a beast this season and is a huge reason that this Pacers team has managed to win games. If he can have another efficient night and the rest of the team can step up, Indiana is likely to get this win.
Final Mavericks-Pacers Prediction & Pick
This should be a good game. There’s a reason neither team is a heavy favorite, this game should be competitive and fun to watch. As far as picks go, the Pacers seem to have more momentum and to be doing more stuff right. The Mavericks kind of got lucky that the Grizzlies made a lot of mistakes in their match, while Indiana was dominant across all statistics in their win over the Knicks. Pick the Pacers to win and cover and watch this Indiana team continue to gain momentum.
FINAL MAVERICKS-PACERS PICK: Indiana Pacers -2 (-114)
FINAL MAVERICKS-PACERS SCORE PREDICTION: Pacers 114 – Mavericks 106