Knicks vs. Mavericks Prediction
The surging New York Knicks face a tough test when they visit the red-hot Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
Here’s a complete breakdown, including betting odds and free NBA picks.
New York Knicks vs. Dallas Mavericks
Wednesday, March 09, 2022 – 08:30 PM EST at American Airlines Center
At the time of this writing, sportsbooks had not set the NBA odds for this game but FiveThirtyEight has the Mavericks as 8.5-point home favorites, projecting them to win 79 percent of the time.
Will Brunson Play?
The Knicks (27-38 SU, 29-36 ATS) have been a mess this season but they’re actually playing well as of late, winning their last two games and covering the spread in three straight contests. New York is coming off a convincing 131-115 road win at Sacramento as 4-point underdogs on Monday, after crushing the Clippers 116-93 in LA as 5.5-point underdogs.
Julius Randle had a career-high 46 points, RJ Barrett finished with 29 points, eight rebounds and six assists and Immanuel Quickley added 27 points, six rebounds and four assists off the bench to help the Knicks rally from a 20-point deficit. The Mavs are a significant step up in competition and the Knicks will need a perfect game to keep up with them.
The Mavericks (40-25 SU, 36-28-1) are playing their best basketball of the season, winning their last five games, including Monday’s impressive 111-103 home victory against the Jazz, as 1-point favorites. Luka Doncic led the way against the Jazz with 35 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists, Spencer Dinwiddie stepped up with 23 points, replacing Jalen Brunson in the starting lineup and Dorian Finney-Smith had 21 points. Dallas will need monster games from these three players in order to cover this number on Wednesday.
Prediction
Jalen Brunson is currently recovering from a foot contusion but Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said on Monday that there are “no concerns: with it being a long-term issue and there’s a chance he plays on Wednesday.
Brunson is having a career-year, averaging 16.2 points, 5.3 assists and 3.7 rebounds and he had a big game against the Kings on Saturday with 23 points and six assists. If he’s out, the Mavs can deploy Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie again, with 3-and-D wings like Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock on the perimeter. As always, we suggest you wait as long as possible to find out who’s playing before placing your bets. Enjoy the game and find more NBA picks here.
NBA Pick: Over at BetOnline if Brunson plays