The Mavericks are playing the second of back-to-back games, while the Thunder are looking to improve poor record at the start of the season. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Dallas Mavericks at Oklahoma City Thunder
Spread: Oklahoma City Thunder -11.5 (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: Over/Under 206.5 points (-110)
The Mavericks are visiting Oklahoma after a nervy clash with Cleveland
The Dallas Mavericks fell short in Saturday’s tilt with the Cavs at home, and even though they came close to a win, they eventually suffered a 104:111 defeat. It was Dallas’ first game in three days after a surprising victory over the Wizards in Washington, and now they are playing the second of a back-to-back in Oklahoma, so this schedule wasn’t very kind to the Mavs.
The Mavericks had a small lead at halftime, but the Cavaliers won the third quarter by 12 points, which proved to be enough for a win in such close encounter. Dallas wasn’t better than Cleveland in any category except for assists and turnovers, and those ten errors in opposite to the Cavs’ 17 kept them alive until the very last minute. Harrison Barnes led the Mavs with his second double-double of the season of 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Dennis Smith Jr. posted 19 points, seven assists, five boards, team-high two steals, and game and career-high two blocks. The rookie point guard is getting better, and following a turbulent start of the campaign, he now recorded 15+ points in each of the previous five displays. Dennis obviously still has a lot to learn, but at the moment, he is one of the top performers in Dallas, and it seems that he can only improve. The veteran and future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki added 14 points and five rebounds, while Wesley Matthews scored 12 points, along with six dishes, and two thefts. Smith, Barnes, and Matthews are averaging around 44 points per contest so far but will face a difficult test in Oklahoma against Westbrook, George, and Anthony. Matthews will have a particularly tough job in a matchup with PG 13, who is a great perimeter defender, but Barnes could exploit Carmelo’s lack of defensive awareness to lead the visitors in scoring. Nowitzki should have a favorable matchup against Jerami Grant or Dakari Johnson and exploit the fact that Steven Adams will not feature to own the paint on both ends. Still, Dirk is 39 and he cannot contribute to the offense as before but could play a significant part in his 25 minutes on the floor.
Rick Carlisle will be without a veteran point guard Devin Harris as he sustained a rib injury against Cleveland, and the coach already said that he doesn’t think Harris will be ready to feature on Sunday. With Seth Curry already sidelined with a leg injury, Dennis Smith, Yogi Ferrell, and J.J. Barea will split time in the frontcourt. The Mavericks are scoring 99.17 points per contest on average (27th in the NBA), while they are allowing 107.08 points in return (19th in the NBA).
Place: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Date/Time: Sunday, November 12th, 2017, 7 PM ET
TV Coverage: FS OKLAHOMA HD, FSSW, NBA TV CANADA
The Thunder are looking for consecutive victory after a win over the Clippers
The Oklahoma City Thunder are playing way below expectations as they are currently 5-7, and even seven teams have a better record from them at the moment, which is an unpleasant surprise considering the strength of the team. Oklahoma snapped the four-game losing streak with a 120:111 victory against the Los Angeles Clippers and now are hoping to add another one in a clash with one of the weakest teams in the association.
The Thunder scored a season-high 120 points thanks to an excellent shooting from the field (51.3%), while they made 11 out of 26 attempts from the perimeter. They committed just 12 turnovers in opposite to the Clippers’ 18, and surprisingly dominated in blocks (7-2), and had ten more assists (23-13). Paul George led Oklahoma with season-high 42 points (13-22 FG, 4-7 3PT, 12-15 FT), nine rebounds, seven dimes, and game-high three thefts, while Russell Westbrook added 22 points, eight boards, and three steals. Carmelo Anthony contributed with 14 points and six rebounds, while Alex Abrines scored a season-high 14 points, including three shots from beyond the arc. Westbrook is facing a rookie guard Dennis Smith Jr. and will try to teach the youngster a lesson, but Smith proved that he would not be intimidated in a clash with John Wall earlier this week, so it is an exciting matchup to watch. Paul George will probably cool off in a duel with Wesley Matthews, who knows to play good defense, so I don’t expect PG 13 to have another spectacular performance. However, the trio of Russ, George, and Anthony will likely score the majority of the Thunder points, especially as they cannot rely on Steven Adams in the paint. The three of them are averaging a bit more than 60 points per game, but I think they can combine for 70+ plus on this one, given that the Mavs already played on Saturday, and Oklahoma is playing at home.
Billy Donovan cannot count only on Steven Adams as the center suffered a calf injury in a loss to Denver, and even though he was missed against the Clippers, the Thunder managed to beat them without Adams, so I think they will be fine here as well. Donovan doesn’t want to rush Adams back into action and will sit him as a precaution rather than due to some severe damage. The Thunder are scoring 10.25 points per contest on average (21st in the NBA), while they are allowing 98.42 points in return (3rd in the NBA). Oklahoma is among the top ten teams (6th) in the league when it comes to defending as they allowed 43.80% field goal to the opponents so far, and 34.77% from the perimeter (8th).
Dallas Mavericks at Oklahoma City Thunder Trends & Prediction
The Mavericks are 3-10 against the spread (2-4 away), while they are 5-8 on over/under (2-4 away), and even though they are among the least efficient teams in the NBA, I am relying on the Thunder to score 110+ points here.
The Thunder are 5-7 against the spread (3-2 home), while they are 3-9 on over/under (2-3 home), and despite being unable to establish a high-scoring offense so far, the latest display and 120 points are quite encouraging. That’s why my advice here is to play Oklahoma to win by 12 or more and OVER.
My Pick: Oklahoma -11.5 (-110)
Total: Over 206.5 points (-110)
