Brooklyn Nets vs Dallas Mavericks betting tips and predictions for Thursday’s NBA Game on NBA TV. It’s a battle between two superstars as Luka Doncic takes his Mavs on the road for a face-off with Kevin Durant and his Nets. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Brooklyn Nets
With just 1 win in their opening 4 games of the season, I think it’s safe to say that the Nets have underachieved. Kevin Durant is getting his numbers, he is averaging 32 points per game, but he isn’t getting enough help from his fellow superstars Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons. Some people are even questioning whether or not those two players belong in that category after the slow start the Nets have had. Simmons is struggling offensively, he has also fouled out in 2 games played this season and isn’t contributing much to the overall team success.
He is coming off a game in which Ja Morant dropped 38 points on him, it doesn’t get any easier tonight as he goes up against Luka Doncic who is an even tougher match-up for him. Brooklyn has had it’s fair share of issues when facing Dallas, they are just 1-4 SU in the last 5 meetings and with just 3 wins in the last 11 meetings in Brooklyn, they are the underdogs in this game for a reason.
Dallas Mavericks
Dallas is still looking to win their first road game of the season after losing to the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans in their first 2 games. The loss at New Orleans wasn’t a good look as they went up against a team that didn’t have Zion Williamson or Brandon Ingram and they still couldn’t deliver. Doncic did his thing and led the way with 37 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists, while Christian Wood and Spencer Dinwiddie each had over 20 on the night, but the Mavs just couldn’t get stops down the stretch and now they are looking to get back to .500 with tonight’s game.
They could get Tim Hardaway Jr. back into the line-up as he returns from injury, his status will be decided prior to tip-off. That would be a big boost for the Mavs offense as they are still adjusting to life without Jalen Brunson who left in free agency. They’ll need all the scoring they can get against the high paced Nets. Last season they actually won the road game in Brooklyn by 2 points, behind a 37-point, 9 rebound and 9 assist game by Doncic.
The Nets are still trying to find their groove as they gel together with all their new pieces. Tonight’s game could go down the wire, the previous 3 meetings have been decided by 2, 3 and 4 points. They still have Kevin Durant on their side, so if the game is close down the stretch, I am liking Brooklyn’s chances here. Take the home team to cover.
Brooklyn Nets vs Dallas Mavericks Predictions & Odds
Not a lot of points have been scored in the previous 10 meetings between these teams as they’ve averaged a modest 218.9 during that stretch. If we look at the 3 most recent games between them that number is down to 215.3 per game and the total has gone under in 2 of those games. I’m a bit surprised that the oddsmakers are projecting the total at 227 points here, but maybe that is something we can use to our advantage. Just like last season the Mavericks rank dead last in the NBA when it comes to pace of play averaging 82.8 possessions per game.
Brooklyn is somewhere in the middle of the league with 101.4 per game, I’d expect Doncic to control the tempo here as that will be the Mavs’ best chance of getting a result. Dallas will also rely heavily on their defense, they currently have the 2nd best defensive rating only behind the Milwaukee Bucks. Brooklyn ranks dead last in this category and I think head coach Steve Nash is smart enough to realize that they won’t win many games playing this way. I’m expecting a slower paced game here, so let’s back the under.
