The Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks will battle in an inter-conference preseason matchup on Friday night. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Mavericks-Bucks prediction and pick.

The Mavericks and Bucks will both look to continue preparing for the regular season in their last preseason game on Friday night. The defending champion Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo seek the rhythm they found late in the postseason, as there will be targets on their back all season long as the reining champs. The Mavericks and new coach Jason Kidd will search for how they can be best optimized around their superstar guard, Luka Doncic. Doncic and other key players are however out for Friday's contest as of now for the Mavericks.

Here's how the bookmakers have set the Mavericks-Bucks odds for this Friday matchup.

NBA Odds: Mavericks-Bucks Odds

Dallas Mavericks +10.5  (-110)

Milwaukee Bucks  -10.5 (-110)

Over 224 points (-110)

Under 224 points (-110)

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Why The Mavericks Can Cover The Spread

Dallas will be without several key contributors come Friday evening. Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Reggie Bullock and Tyrell Terry have all been ruled out for the contest. Still, with such a large spread, they might be able to cover. The Bucks likely do not need another entire preseason game to work out the kinks heading into the regular season, so they might run out their reserve group for much of the second half, leaving the Mavericks a chance to cover. If Milwaukee does play their regulars for an extended period, the Mavericks might be in trouble.

Why The Bucks Can Cover The Spread

The Bucks will presumably have their big four of Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez on Friday night, as none of them are listed on the injury report. Bobby Portis, Donte DiVincenzo and Semi Ojeleye are listed as out. The Bucks will obviously be in great shape to dominate this game if they so choose behind their star power, so they might be a solid bet to cover in this final tune-up ahead of the regular season. Dallas will not be able to guard the Bucks, so Milwaukee should be able to control the game at will in the absence of the Mavericks' offensive playmakers.

Final Mavericks-Bucks Prediction & Pick

The Bucks have the clear edge here, and they play hard. Take the Bucks to cover this spread, even at a double-digit number. Milwaukee is clearly the much better team with Dallas sitting four of its top players, including their MVP candidate in Doncic. The Bucks and their respective MVP candidate in Antetokounmpo should be in good shape for a cover on Friday night.

FINAL MAVERICKS-BUCKS PREDICTION & PICK: Bucks -10.5 (-110)