NBA Preview: Mavericks Host Kings, Nuggets Welcome Pacers

A quick glance around the NBA landscape for some of tonight’s more engaging basketball betting lines and options…

Sacramento Kings (4.75) at Dallas Mavericks (1.21)

The white-hot Mavericks will be a tall order this evening for Sacramento. Dallas has won nine of its last ten (including a 112-109 nail-biter over the woeful Timberwolves, a game that the Mavs seemed upset about even though they escaped with a win) and appears to be reaping the benefits of the deals they made at the deadline.

From a betting perspective, there’s not much hope for Sacramento backers. Yes, the Kings have played the Mavs close this season — an eight-point loss back in January and a two-point defeat back in November — but they’ve been sporadic at best over their last 10 (4-6) and haven’t done much on the road (losses in Golden State, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Oklahoma City).  In fact, Sacramento holds the inglorious distinction of having one of the NBA’s worst records away from home — the Kings are a lousy 6-26 away from Arco Arena. If you are looking at the Kings as a possible point-spread play, they’re currently listed at +8.5, which might not be a terrible number considering the Mavs have played things close as of late (three-point win over Minnesota, five-point win over Charlotte, eight-point win over New Orleans, two-point win over Atlanta and a five-point win over the Lakers).

Indiana Pacers (6.50) at Denver Nuggets (1.13)

Everything you need to know about this game starts and ends with Denver’s record at home. The Nuggets are 26-5 on the year, and one of those losses came recently in a 111-92 whipping at the hands of San Antonio. Since then, the Nugs have outscored opponents by scores of 114-105 (Boston) and 119-90 (Oklahoma City), proving once again that this energetic, high-flying team can really rack up the points at the Pepsi Center.

The Pacers, meanwhile, are awful on the road. They’re close to challenging Sacramento for one of the worst away records in the association; at 7-25, they’ve proven a total inability to raise their level of compete away from home and that plays a large role in their woeful overall record (20-41). The Pacers have been awful over their last 10 games (2-8), thanks in large part to their inability to make any stops defensively. Indy has given up 100+ points in seven of the last ten, including 120 to Chicago, 112 to Milwaukee, 122 to the Lakers and 107 to New Orleans. Those are obviously terrible numbers heading into a contest against a team like Denver that can score in bunches…So now feels like a good time to mention that the Over/Under for tonight’s contest is 220 points.

If you’d like to check out these options for NBA betting and other basketball betting lines, head on over to Sports Interaction’s online sportsbook today!