Game: Dallas Mavericks @ Brooklyn Nets
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Odds: Mavericks -1.5, Nets +1.5
Total: 220.5
The Nets have won four straight and Dallas seven of its last eight. The two teams meet in Brooklyn tonight and the Nets will not have Kyrie Irving who went off last night for 60 points in a 150-108 win over Orlando. That leaves it up to Kevin Durant and the rest of the Nets to face a red-hot Dallas on the second night of a back-to-back.
Brooklyn hasn’t done well with no rest this season. The Nets are just 2-9 SU in 11 such games. They are also just 2-8-1 ATS in those games. Dallas hasn’t played since Sunday when they beat a very good Boston team 95-92. The Mavs’ only loss in their last eight games was a rare blowout loss to the Knicks in which Dallas shot just 31.4 percent from the field (13.6 percent from three-point range).
Having just Durant won’t be so bad for Brooklyn tonight. Before Irving’s 60-point outing last night, it was Durant who put up 53 against the Knicks on Sunday night in a 110-107 win. Durant and Irving became the first two teammates in NBA history to have back-to-back 50-plus point games. Since returning from his knee injury, Durant is now averaging 32 points, seven assists, and six rebounds per game. Plus, he’s shooting 52.3 percent from the field.
Dallas has been exceptionally good since the All-Star break. They are currently fifth in the Western Conference standings and have the same record as the fourth-place Utah Jazz. The Mavericks roll as Luka Doncic rolls. In the win over Boston, Doncic had 26 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. New acquisition Spencer Dinwiddie added 18 points and he has been a real boost for Dallas. In 11 games with the Mavs since his trade. Dinwiddie is shooting 50.8 percent and is averaging 17.5 points a game.
Dallas ranks first in the NBA in scoring defense allowing opponents just 103.5 points per game. That defense keeps the Mavs in games and is likely why they are one of the NBA’s best against the spread when playing on the road. In road games, Dallas is 19-14 SU and they have the third-best ATS percentage in away games with a 21-12 ATS record.
The Nets have scored 129 or more points in three of their last four games. Brooklyn is 3-1 ATS in those four games, but the Nets are 0-5 ATS in their last five home games. Dallas is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 games and 4-2 ATS in its last six against Brooklyn. Plus, the Mavs are 7-0 ATS in their last seven road games.
With the Nets’ recent scoring binge, the total has gone Over in 12 of the last 17 games. Dallas plays at the slowest pace in the NBA and they have the league’s best defense. It’s no surprise that four of their last five games have gone Under. The Mavs have a season O/U record of 23-43-2.