Mavericks vs. Thunder Prediction
Can the Oklahoma City Thunder pick up a big win at home tonight when they face the Dallas Mavericks at 8PM ET?
535 Dallas Mavericks vs. 536 Oklahoma City Thunder
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
8PM ET – Chesapeake Energy Arena
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Public Betting Trends
According to the latest oddsmakers, the Mavericks are favored on the road, as they are getting odds of -2 points against the Thunder. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 218 points. The public betting currently has 82 percent going on Dallas as the home favorite. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our NBA Public Betting Page for updated figures on the game.
Mavericks fall in Los Angeles
Dallas is coming off a 108-95 loss at Los Angeles against the Lakers on Sunday night to snap a brief 2-game win streak. The Mavs are 21-11 on the season, 12-4 on the road, 18-14 against the spread and 20-12 with the over.
The Mavericks are solid on offense this year, averaging 116.8 points per game while shooting 46 percent as a team. Defensively, the Mavs are giving up 108.9 points per game while opponents shoot 44.5 percent against them. Dallas has some big questions for tonight’s game as both Luka Doncic (wrist) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (hamstring) are questionable to play. Doncic is averaging 28.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game this year to be among the top MVP candidates thus far. Hardaway Jr. is adding 13.7 points per contest. Kristaps Porzingis is adding 17.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per contest.
Thunder playing well
Oklahoma City seems to have found its stride in recent weeks. The Thunder have won two straight and six of their last seven games following a big 98-97 win at Toronto on Sunday. The Thunder are 17-15 on the season, 11-6 at home, 20-12 against the spread and 18-14 with the under.
OKC is putting up 108.3 points per game on offense this season while shooting 46.8 percent as a team. Defensively, the Thunder are allowing just 107.5 points per game while holding opponents to 45.7 percent shooting. The Thunder have some injury questions tonight as well with Dennis Schroder and Danilo Gallinari both being questionable with ankle injuries. They both average about 18 points per game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is leading the team with 19.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while Chris Paul is putting up 16.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.5 assists per contest.
NBA Betting Trends
Dallas
The Mavericks are 10-3 against the spread in their last 13 games as a favorite and 19-6-1 ATS in their last 26 road games.
Oklahoma City
The Thunder are 7-2 against the spread in their last nine games as a home underdog and 6-2 ATS in their last eight games following a win.
Prediction:
This is a game you will have to keep an eye on. The injuries are certainly going to play a factor in the outcome. My gut tells me to go with the Thunder tonight. While the Mavs may be more explosive, the Thunder have a lot better depth and they seem to be playing their best right now. Their recent wins haven’t been all against just chumps and the Thunder have been pretty steady at home, so I like them in most cases when they get points on their home floor. Dallas is very likely to be without Hardaway, so that is at least one key scorer gone. I am not sure Doncic and Porzingis will be enough to get past this feisty OKC squad on the road.
NBA Prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder +2