The NBA regular season continues with games on Wednesday. The Dallas Mavericks will hit the road and take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Mavericks-Cavaliers prediction and pick.
These two teams have had somewhat similar seasons so far. The Dallas Mavericks have been a competitive team this year and are coming off back-to-back wins. While the Cleveland Cavaliers have also been a solid team, yet they have come up short recently winning only one of their last four games. This should be a good game between two solid teams.
Here are the Mavericks-Cavaliers NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Mavericks-Cavaliers Odds
Dallas Mavericks: -3 (-110)
Cleveland Cavaliers: +3 (-112)
Over: 213 (-110)
Under: 213 (-110)
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Why The Mavericks Could Cover The Spread
The Dallas Mavericks have turned things up recently and are starting to gain some serious momentum heading into the playoffs. Through their first 76 games, they have an impressive winning record of 47-29. Dallas is coming off two straight victories, with their most recent win coming over the Los Angeles Lakers by 18. The Mavs will look to carry that same energy into a tough match-up on Wednesday. The Cavaliers have had a competitive season and will prove to be a tough opponent. If Dallas is able to keep building on their recent wins and put in a solid performance on Wednesday, then they should be able to come out on top.
Luka is the clear leader in Dallas. He sets the pace and elevates the level of play of everyone around him. However, in their win over the Lakers, Luka's supporting cast helped out. Besides Luka, six other players scored double-digit points. This Mavericks roster is deeper than it looks, and with a solid bench and depth, Dallas looks ready to make a run this post-season. If Luka can put in another big performance, and the bench can keep stepping up, then the Mavs should roll right over Cleveland. However, if they come in underprepared and don't play up to their potential, then they could come up short.
Injuries have been somewhat of a concern for this Mavs team. Like every team this season, the Mavericks have had to deal with absent players. Currently, Dallas has five players listed on their injury report, with only Brandon Knight being listed as day-to-day. However, in spite of the unavailable players, the Mavs still have their core roster intact and will be able to go to battle on Wednesday.
Why The Cavaliers Could Cover The Spread
The Cleveland Cavaliers have had a roller coaster of a season so far. At the beginning of the year, when they were at full health, the Cavs looked like a team that was going to make a deep run this season. However, after dealing with numerous injuries, the Cavs have shifted and are just looking to maintain a level of competitiveness. Through their first 75 games, they have a winning record of 42-33. Cleveland has managed to win most of their games and come out on top in the face of adversity. The Mavericks are a tough team to face, and while Cleveland may be struggling right now, this could be just the game to turn things around.
The Cavaliers faced off against the Orlando Magic most recently and only came out ahead by six. The Magic are one of the worst teams in the NBA and the Cavs should have won that game by more. However, during the game, after only 13 minutes of playing time, rising Cavs star Evan Mobley exited. This loss was a crippling blow to Cleveland, and even though they managed to win that game, losing Mobley is very tough. Darius Garland picked up the slack, dropping 25, and Laur Markkanen filled in with 20. But still, the loss of Mobley is devastating.
Cleveland has struggled with injuries all season, and that continues to be the case. Currently, the Cavs have five players listed on their injury report. Besides Mobley, who is still marked as out, Jarrett Allen will miss his 12th straight game on Wednesday. The Cavs are struggling to hold on, and as their roster seemingly falls apart it will be very interesting to see how they adapt. Cleveland could step things up, however, there is a large challenge looming ahead of them.
Final Mavericks-Cavaliers Prediction & Pick
This is a pretty easy pick. While both teams have injuries, the Cavaliers are far more significant. Dallas still has Luka, they still have depth, the Cavs are missing their best guys and are going to rely on their bench to step things up. On paper, with all the injuries at play, this is a mismatch that Dallas should end up winning. Pick the Mavericks to win and cover.
FINAL MAVERICKS-CAVALIERS PICK: Dallas Mavericks -3 (-112)
FINAL MAVERICKS-CAVALIERS SCORE PREDICTION: Mavericks 110 – Cavaliers 102
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