The Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks is looking like a tough battle, similar to their series last year, where LA pulled out a tough 4-2 series win which was tied at 1-1 until Kristaps Porzingis suffered an injury and the scoring load on Luka Doncic became just a little too much.
The Clippers might be a better team than last year, but Dallas has shown very good play to end the season and they match up fairly well with LA.
The Slovenian kid is special and is now on the hunt to create playoff magic, this time with Porzingis healthy and filling out his center role in the starting lineup and contributing to the Mavericks offense.
Dallas won game one behind Doncic’s 31pt triple double, shooting 5/11 from 3pt land and the Clippers now face themselves looking for a needed win early in the playoffs, let’s break down tonight’s game and figure out where to put our bet.
Mavericks vs Clippers Betting Odds
Moneyline:
Mavericks +220
Clippers -275
Point spread:
Mavericks +6.5
Clippers -6.5
Over/Under: 216
Confused about the numbers? Click here for an explanation on US betting odds.
Dallas Mavericks coming in hot
We’ve really liked how Dallas has played to finish off the regular season and they managed to carry it over to game 1. In their last seven games they’ve covered the betting line five times before delivering a healthy +205 moneyline win on Sunday.
Dallas has been on fire offensively and they didn’t let up in game 1, scoring 113 points in a slow game at a pace of 87.50 – the slow pace might turn out as a key in this series.
As a team, the Mavericks were super hot on 3pointers, shooting a combined 17-36 netting almost half of their points.
Shooting 47% (17-36) on 3 pointers will be hard to do again, the question is whether or not they’ll have to.
As good as Doncic looked in game 1, it appears he can still get better and Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle is doing whatever he can in the game plan to make that happen – the slow pace being the key to it all.
Doncic has great on court IQ and when the game’s slowed down, he can use all his smarts, skill and patience to set himself up in good situations, both for him and the shooters Carlisle puts on the floor around him.
Clippers looking to flip the momentum
The Clippers entered the playoffs as one of the best offensive teams in the league with an offensive rating just below the Jazz and Nets, they’ll need to get their offense back on track for game 2 unless they want to be in a terrible playoff spot down 0-2 and going for away games.
Their high powered offense is built on a team full of good 3 point shooters, and this is where a flip in the momentum could happen. LA shot a terrible 11-40 on 3 pointers in game 1 and only lost by 10, if they can get back to their regular percentages and slow down Doncic just a bit, they could be in charge of the series quickly.
Slowing down the ever improving Doncic will prove, but it’ll definitely be exciting to follow what coach Tyronn Lue can come up with to prevent the mismatches that Doncic is so good at creating shots for both his teammates and himself.
NBA Playoffs Pick: Mavericks vs Clippers
I think we’re looking at a relatively close game, sure the Clippers could go from underperforming to overperforming on their 3pt shooting similar to what we saw the Milwaukee Bucks do in their first to games vs the Heat, but it’s not likely, and given the quality looks 3pt looks that Dallas generate simply off the brilliance of Doncic as a ball handler, Dallas should be able to keep themselves in the game. The 3pt shooting will be a big key in this series, especially in a slow game with low amounts of total possessions where the ability to execute in the half court stands out.
Our pick is fairly lean here, but it’s Dallas to cover the spread. A slow game and the best offensive player in the series being on the team, they should be able to keep up and potentially eek out another win.
Pick: Dallas +6.5
If you don't like this pick, then we suggest the Clippers around -265 on the moneyline.
Sports Betting Guide NBA Playoffs picks
We're at - $111 after going 1-2 last night.
W/L: 1-2
$: -111
References:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/
