Warriors vs. Mavericks Prediction: NBA Odds, Point Spread
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Nik Kowalski
Marquee matchups don’t get much bigger than this, as Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors visit Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night. The franchise point guards rank fifth and sixth in the NBA scoring race but have seen their teams get off to uneven starts in the Western Conference standings. The Warriors fell 111-107 to Boston last time out, while Dallas ended a six-game losing streak with a win over Atlanta on Wednesday.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Dallas is favoured in the first of two straight meetings with the Warriors at American Airlines Center. And recent history is emphatically on the Mavericks’ side, with Golden State having gone 1-4 straight up in the previous five head-to-head meetings while failing to cover in seven straight encounters. The Warriors are also just 2-6 against the spread in their last eight road games; they’ll play eight of their next 12 games away from Chase Center.
Thursday’s total is 224.5, and there should be plenty of action on the Over based on Golden State’s reputation alone. But the Warriors have cashed three consecutive Unders and are actually a better bet on that side of the total with a 9-12 O/U record for the season. The Mavericks are also a strong Under play at 9-13, but have cashed the Over in six of their previous nine games. The teams are also 7-2 O/U in their last nine meetings.
Golden State Warriors
Small ball is going to be the name of the game for the Warriors, at least in the near term. With injuries to centres Kevon Looney (ankle) and James Wiseman (wrist) leaving Golden State really thin up front, don’t be surprised to see 6-foot-6 power forward Draymond Green pick up meaningful minutes in the middle. The only other natural post players on the active roster are reserves Eric Paschall and Juan Toscano-Anderson.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks have been saddled with one of the most slanted home-road schedules early in the season, having played just eight of their first 22 games at American Airlines Center. But that’s about to change, with Dallas playing seven straight games and nine of their next 10 in friendly confines. Of course, they’ll still need to win those contests – and so far, the Mavs are a miserable 2-6 SU and ATS in eight home games in 2020-21.
GS
DAL