Cleveland Cavs vs. Dallas Mavericks, 3/16/19 Predictions & Odds

Cavs vs. Mavericks Spread Prediction

The Mavericks nearly pulled off an impressive upset in Denver on Thursday night before falling by a single point. Nevertheless, the Mavs have lost seven in a row and nine of their last 10 overall. Will they take out their frustrations Saturday versus the Cavs?

Game Snapshot

511 Cleveland Cavs at 512 Dallas Mavericks

8:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, March 16, 2019

American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas

Our NBA Live Odds page pulls spreads and totals from multiple different online sportsbooks so you can compare betting odds to ensure you’re getting the best line.

Public Betting Trends

According to oddsmakers from online sportsbook BetNow.eu, the Mavericks are 6.5-point favorites to beat the Cavs. The total, meanwhile, sits at 214.5 points and as of this writing, 72% of the public betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Mavericks to cover the point spread.

Cleveland Cavs Fantasy Spin

Kevin Love made 3-of-9 from the field for 10 points with eight rebounds, one assist, one block and one 3-pointer in 24 minutes during a 120-91 loss to the Magic on Thursday. He picked up four fouls in a span of five minutes in the third quarter to send him for the bench, but Love surprisingly played in garbage time. The Cavs had been looking like an NBA basketball team with Love on the floor lately, but they were run out of the building on the road. Love had rested on the back-to-back set on Tuesday, but the Cavs won't have another B2B until Apr. 4-5. He should be looking at minutes in the 28-30 range most nights, and since the break he had averaged 20.9 points, 11.9 boards, 2.0 dimes and 3.6 treys over his previous eight. He should be in all lineups.

Dallas Mavericks Fantasy Spin

Luka Doncic made 10-of-23 from the field for 24 points during a 100-99 loss to the Nuggets on Thursday, adding 11 rebounds, nine assists, two steals and one 3-pointer in 35 minutes. He had a go-ahead, highlight-reel poster jam on Paul Millsap (video in link below) to give the Mavs a one-point lead with five seconds left, but he missed the free throw that led to Nikola Jokic winning the game on the other end. Doncic was also grabbing his right hand from the jam, and he also was limping from some contact to his right knee in the right half -- his left knee gave him problems earlier this week. Doncic was a star in this game and he bounced back nicely from arguably his worst game as an NBA player on Tuesday, so hopefully he's still going to stay healthy.

NBA Betting Trends

Cleveland

The Cavs are 19-7 against the spread in their last 26 games versus an opponent with a winning percentage below .400.

Dallas

The Mavericks are 2-5-1 against the number in their last eight games when facing a team with a losing road record.

Prediction

The favorite in this series is 4-1 against the spread in the last five meetings between these two teams while the Cavs are just 4-9 at the betting window in their last 13 meetings with the Mavs. It’s tempting to take the points and fade a Dallas team that has struggled, but the Mavs are also 15-7-1 against the spread in their last 23 games versus Eastern Conference opponents. Meanwhile, Cleveland has dropped four straight playing on only one day of rest and is 17-35-1 ATS in its last 53 games against Western Conference opponents.

Saturday NBA Prediction: Dallas Mavericks -6.5