Blazers vs. Mavericks Prediction
Can the Dallas Mavericks handle being a slight favorite at home tonight when they host the Portland Trailblazers at 8:30PM ET?
705 Portland Trailblazers at 706 Dallas Mavericks
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
8:30PM ET – American Airlines Center
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Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, Dallas is the slim favorite at home tonight, as the Mavericks are getting odds of -1 point against the Blazers. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 219.5 points. The public betting currently has 57 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.
Blazers on skid
Portland has lost two straight and five of its last six coming into tonight. The Blazers last loss was 131-118 at San Antonio on Sunday. Portland is 13-10 on the season, 11-12 against the spread and 14-9 with the over. The Blazers have failed to cover in seven straight.
The Blazers have been strong on offense this year, averaging 113 points per game. They are the top free-throw shooting team in the league right now and also rank second in the NBA in rebounding at 49.2 per game. However, the defense struggles. They are giving up 111.7 points per game and rank 28th in 3-point defense. Damian Lillard is leading the team this year with 27 points, 5 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game. CJ McCollum adds 21.5 points per game and Jusuf Nurkic averages 15.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
Mavs warming up
Dallas has won four of its last five games to get over the .500 mark. Their last win was on Sunday, a 114-110 win at home over the Clippers. Dallas is now 11-10 on the season, 14-7 against the spread and 12-9 with the over. The Mavs have also covered in four of their last five games.
Dallas has been in the middle of the road on both offense and defense. The Mavs are putting up 110.8 points per game while shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from the arc. Defensively, they give up just 108.9 points per game and they rank second in the NBA in rebounds allowed, giving up just 42 per game. Rookie Luka Doncic is having a great start to the year, averaging 18.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. DeAndre Jordan is adding 11.5 points and 13.7 rebounds per game.
NBA Betting Trends
Portland
Portland has failed to cover the spread in four straight road games and in six straight Western Conference games.
Dallas
The Mavericks have covered the spread in seven straight home games and in 10 of their last 12 against Northwest opponents.
Prediction:
Portland looks like the better team on paper, but the Blazers are in a real funk. They haven’t been able to cover in weeks and are facing a Dallas team that has a little momentum going. The Blazers have been able to dominate the glass, but now they face a team that allows fewer rebounds. That should take something away from Portland on both sides of the ball. Look for Jordan to dominate the glass and lead the Mavs to the win and cover.
NBA Prediction: Dallas Mavericks -1