The Eastern Conference’s top team will be at home when the Cleveland Cavaliers (47-19) welcome the Dallas Mavericks (34-33) to the Quicken Loans Arena. The game starts at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Mar. 16 and can be seen on FxO and FSW.
The Cavaliers are expecting better results after their 94-85 loss to the Jazz on Monday. LeBron James recorded 23 points and 12 rebounds, earning his 23rd double-double of the year. The Mavericks, meanwhile, are coming off a 107-96 win against the Hornets on Monday. Chandler Parsons led the team in scoring by posting 24 points on 9-for-14 shooting.
Dirk Nowitzki has been on a tear over the last five games for the Mavericks, averaging 26.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 2.2 three-pointers.
The Mavericks may not find many second-chance opportunities in this matchup. They’re ranked 29th in the league in offensive rebounding (offensive rebound percentage of 20.1%), whereas Cleveland is fourth-best in the NBA on the defensive glass (defensive rebound percentage of 78.9%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Cavaliers won the first game 110-107. James put up 27 points and 10 rebounds.
The Cavaliers have gone 47-19 Straight Up (SU) and 30-34-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 47-19 SU and 30-34-2 ATS against the Western Conference. Cleveland is excellent from the perimeter with 681 three-pointers made (10.0 per game), the fifth-most in the league.
On the other side, the Mavericks head into the game with records of 34-31-2 ATS and 34-33 SU. Against the Eastern Conference, Dallas is 34-33 SU and 34-31-2 ATS. The Mavericks convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking fourth in the league at .791. The Mavericks are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking fifth in the NBA at 1.79.
Cleveland beat Dallas in their most recent meeting this season, but the Mavericks still lead the head-to-head record over the last 10, 7-3 SU. The Mavericks also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle
Notes
“Cleveland is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games “.
“Cleveland is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland’s last 6 games “.
“Cleveland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“Cleveland is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Dallas”.
“Cleveland is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing Dallas”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Cleveland’s last 9 games when playing Dallas”.
“Cleveland is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas”.
“Cleveland is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland’s last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas”.
“Dallas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Cleveland”.
Ranked zeroth, Cleveland puts up 0.0 points per game. On the other hand, Dallas gives up 0.0 and also ranks zeroth (in points allowed).
Cleveland and Dallas are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per home game and points allowed per away game respectively. Cleveland puts up an average of 0.0 points per home game, while Dallas gives up 0.0 points per away game on average.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Cleveland Cavaliers are a winning 26-9. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Dallas Mavericks have an underachieving record of 9-20.
When the Cavaliers give up 100 or more points, they are 21-10. When the Mavericks hit triple digits, they also have a winning record (25-13).
The Mavericks have a defensive rating of 104.6 (ranked 17th). The Cavaliers rank fourth for their offensive rating of 108.5.
The Dallas Mavericks average 97.7 possessions per game and 1.049 points per possession. The Cleveland Cavaliers earn fewer possessions with 95.5, but they score more points with 1.085.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking fifth in the league with an EFF% of 52.0%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Dallas Mavericks have an abysmal 6-19 record.
Cleveland averages 28.0 three point attempts per game, and Dallas attempts 28.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Cavaliers have a solid 32-16 record while the Mavericks have a 24-25 record.
Dallas ranks near the top of the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.79 (ranked fifth). Cleveland is ranked sixth, with an A/TO of 1.76 this season.
The Cavaliers rank eighth in rebounds per game with 44.8, while the Mavericks rank 17th with 43.0 per game.
Cleveland is ranked 10th in defensive rebounds, while Dallas ranks 28th in offensive rebounds.
On average, the Mavericks force a turnover rate of 13.7%. When the Cavaliers turn over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 20-13 record.
