The Dallas Mavericks (48-31) will have their hands full against the top scoring defense in the league when they take on the Utah Jazz (37-43) at EnergySolutions Arena. The game gets underway at 9:00 pm ET on Monday, Apr. 13 and will air on FSN-SW and ROOT-NW.
The Jazz were victorious over the Trail Blazers 111-105 on Saturday. Trevor Booker led all scorers with 36 points on 12-for-15 shooting. The Mavericks, meanwhile, are coming off a 144-143 win over the Nuggets on Friday. Devin Harris played well for Dallas, posting 21 points, nine assists, and three steals.
Rodney Hood has really been playing well as of late for the Jazz, averaging 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.6 three-pointers over the last five games. On the other side, the Mavericks have been led by Dirk Nowitzki. He has been on fire, averaging 20.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 1.0 three-pointer in the same time frame.
It could be an error-filled game for Utah offense, which ranks 26th in the league in ball protection (turnover percentage of 15.4%). They’ll be facing the gambling defense of Dallas, which forces the third-most turnovers in the NBA (15.8%).
The Mavericks have won all three matchups against the Jazz this season, including an 87-82 victory in their last matchup. J.J. Barea was the game’s leading scorer with 22 points.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Jazz look to improve upon their records of 37-43 Straight Up (SU) and 44-34-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 22-28 SU and 28-20-2 ATS versus the Western Conference. Teams have a tough time keeping Utah off of the offensive glass. They rank fourth in the NBA in offensive rebounds.
On the other side, Dallas has a SU record of 48-31 and an ATS record of 33-43-3. Most recently, Dallas is a meager 3-7 ATS over the last 10 games. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Mavericks on the defensive end. They allowed 111.1 points per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 102.2. Dallas has not committed many turnovers, averaging only 12.5 per game. On top of that, the Mavericks know how to make opponents pay for their own missteps. They rank second in points off turnovers with an average of 19.4 per game.
Dallas won the last meeting this season between these two teams, moving its SU record against the Jazz to 8-2 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. Additionally, the Mavericks lead the matchup ATS with a record of 5-4-1. Utah held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once in the last 10, while Dallas wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – UTA, ATS Winner – UTA
Notes
The Mavericks are a top-10 scoring team, averaging 105.1 points per game. Utah allows just 94.7 points per game, best in the league.
Dallas averages a solid 103.7 points per away game this season. However, Utah is the top-ranked team in points allowed at home, giving up just 93.4 points per game.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Utah Jazz are a solid 33-17. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Dallas Mavericks have a subpar record of 8-18.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Jazz are just 4-26 this season. Dallas is a formidable 40-13 when it reaches the century mark.
The Mavericks have a defensive rating of 103.8 (ranked 19th). The Jazz rank 14th for their offensive rating of 102.6.
Dallas beats Utah in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Mavericks average 98.5 possessions and 1.067 points per possession, while the Jazz average 92.6 possessions with 1.026 points per possession.
The Dallas Mavericks have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking sixth in the league with an EFF% of 51.4%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Utah Jazz have a subpar 2-27 record.
Utah makes an average of 19.8 assists per game (ranked 29th). Dallas ranks higher in assists with 22.5 (ranked eighth).
The Utah Jazz average 6.0 blocks per game for a rank of third. The Dallas Mavericks rank lower (21st), earning 4.5 blocks each game.
The Utah Jazz rank fourth in offensive rebounding, while the Dallas Mavericks rank 24th in defensive rebounding.
The Dallas Mavericks earn an average of 8.1 steals per game and are ranked ninth. The Utah Jazz have a 21-28 record when they allow at least 8 steals.
