Neither Dallas Mavericks nor the visiting Philadelphia 76ers have had enough victories to celebrate, so both these teams see this game as a good opportunity to snatch another one. There’s still plenty of time to turn things around.
76ers at Mavericks
Spread: Philadelphia -1 (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: o/u 210.5 points (-110)
The 76ers lose to Houston at the buzzer
Despite the obvious improvement, the Sixers have very little to show for. They came very close to a marquee win over the Rockets, drawing a fantastic crowd in their Wells Fargo Center, only to be shocked by a series of late Rockets triples to fall behind 104-105 at the buzzer. It’s a treat that can’t be tanked into. Despite all the talent and excitement, their youngs are bringing, they still have to learn how to win games. Judging by the start of the season, it may take a while.
The Sixers played a solid game and caught the Rockets trending down after a hot start, and for the most part of the game, it seems that they’ll be able to pull it off. Brown decided to sit Fultz for a few games, giving the backup point minutes to McConnell, and he showed why he’s in the NBA. His pick and roll defense caused much trouble for Harden and Houston’s pick and roll offense in the first half. This led Sixers to a double-digit lead, but the Rockets figured it out in the second and run it more smoothly. McConnell finished the game with an incredulous line of 6 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists and 6 steals in 28 minutes. The Sixers were also okay offensively. Simmons and Embiid, their main contributors, scored a solid percentage of their attempts, but still, haven’t learned how to play with equally talented players. They try to do things individually too much, and it results in too many bad shots, late-game situations and a low number of free throw attempts. The Sixers took 36 threes to just 10 foul shots.
The Sixers will get to see a departed piece of their process, Nerlens Noel, and he might serve as a good reminder that by just waiting things to happen, the 76ers will only lose more time. It’s time to go out and take games instead of waiting for them being handed over.
Place: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Date/Time: Saturday, October 28th, 2017. 8:30 PM ET
TV Coverage: FSSW, NBCSP
The Mavericks slow start dooms them to another loss
The Dallas Mavericks are off to a disappointing start to the season, winning only a single game in 6 tries. They wouldn’t make best of the easier matchups against Sacto and Atlanta, and then the hard part of the schedule kicked in, with games against the Warriors, the Rockets, and most recently, a rare back-to-back set with the same opponent, the Memphis Grizzlies. The Mavericks managed a split, winning at the American Airlines Center before staying close but losing in Memphis, so those two games can be considered as an improvement.
In the first game, the Mavericks jumped out in front, using a new lineup that featured Nerlens Noel at the center, but the Memphis returned the favor the same way. It was scripted almost the same way. Playing from behind, the Mavericks scrapped, clawed and finally got back, before losing in the final minutes. Trailing by 19 at the break, they even overtook the Grizzlies with four minutes to go when Barea knocked down all three free throws for an 86-84 lead. Grizzlies responded with a pair of Conley’s baskets and never gave up the lead again. After seeing the youngs ignite them in the previous games, the veterans finally woke up for this one. Matthews ignited the comeback by his 4-of-6 shots from the deep in the third quarter, and Harrison Barnes double-doubled with 22 points and 11 rebounds. He still hasn’t been able to hit shots at a high percentage, but was much better than most of his teammates, as Dallas shot just 34 percent as a team. Missing Devin Harris, the bench was just 6-of-30 from the field.
Seth Curry is improving, but it’s unlikely that he’ll play against the Sixers. Since Harris played in their last home game, he’s probable to dress. There is no indications on whether Carlisle sticks with this, more traditional lineup. It worked to an extent, but with Sixers playing small, athletic wings could make him revert to playing Nowitzki with four smalls – a setting that hadn’t work well, at all.
Philadelphia 76ers at Dallas Mavericks Game Trends & Prediction
Staying close in the game has helped the Sixers go 3-2 against the spread, which is a welcoming sight to their backers. The covered twice on the road, and were only routed in Toronto, when Embiid rested his knees. Three of the last four games stayed below the expected total points line, with the only exception in Toronto again. They are 2-3 against the over/under so far.
Both of the games versus Memphis paid out bets on Dallas, who are now 2-3 against the spread overall. Is it a start of a nice streak, remains to be seen. They don’t score much and play a rather slow tempo, so the 1-3-1 O/U record comes to no surprise. Most points they’ve scored thus far is 103, done twice.
A unique ranking system – AdmiRank helps you understand how good NBA teams are on a scale to 100. The 76ers initially slipped in the rankings, but have now regained a bit of momentum. Dallas, on the other hand, hovers below the NBA average, and the prime reason that they haven’t been knocked further down is the tough schedule. Not much separates the two sides.
The 76ers handed one of the worst defeats in recent history to Dallas when the teams last met, winning 116-74 in Philadelphia. Expect the veteran Mavs team to remember it and go out extra motivated. They might be a little gassed, playing for the third time in four nights (and games against the Grizzlies can be physically draining), but will have the luxury of playing at home, so they simply have to be favored in this game.
This is not the case. The market has Philadelphia as a tiny jolly (well, it’s basically pick-em, but you get the point), and I really couldn’t remember the last time I’ve seen Sixers as an away favorite, so I had to look it up. It didn’t happen in either of the previous three seasons, not even in Brooklyn. (In case you’re curious, I had to go back to April 3rd, 2013 and the game in Charlotte.) Are the Sixers this much improved or the Dallas are the worst team they travel to? It’s close, but it’s not there yet. Take the home team, as any win against a team that still doesn’t know how to win, will earn you some extra cash. As for the total points are concerned, the line is set to 210.5 points, which it too high. It really comes to how the Mavs play against the small lineup, but both sides can struggle at times and the defenses are mostly solid, so I’m picking the under here as well.
My Pick: Dallas pk (-115)
Total: under 210.5 points (-110)
To bet on this event, please visit BetDSI Sportsbook!!!
