A pair of Western Conference teams are set to square off Thursday in the National Basketball Association. The Dallas Mavericks are one of the hottest teams in the league right now with three straight wins. The Mavericks are 37-28 on the season, which is 8th in the West.
The Mavericks are in a log jam with four teams within 3.5 spots for the final five spots in the Western Conference playoff picture. The Mavericks are 18-13 on the road this season, and have gone 21-18 against teams from the West.
For Oklahoma City, despite losing at home to the Pacers on Tuesday, they hold the top spot in the Western Conference. The Thunder are 45-20. They are tied with Denver, who has won nine out of their last 10 games. The Thunder are 26-7 at home, which is one of the best in the league. Oklahoma City is also 28-15 against teams from the Western Conference this season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are -7 over Dallas in this one.
Luka for MVP
Luka Doncic has been absolutely unstoppable as of late. The win at Chicago on March 11h saw Doncic’s streak of six straight 30+ point triple doubles come to an end. He had the triple double, but scored just 27 points. Doncic leads the league in scoring, with 34.6 points per game.
Dallas is 6th in the National Basketball Association in scoring, with 119.1 points per game. The Mavericks make nearly 15 three point shots per game, which is tied for second in the league. Kyrie Irving is second on the team in scoring. The former Duke point guard is scoring 25.2 per game.
The Mavericks are back home on Sunday, as they will welcome the Denver Nuggets to town. After that, next week, they will play at San Antonio, before a home and away against the Utah Jazz.
OKC has a Star of Their Own
Doncic is not the only superstar playing in this game. Former Kentucky star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been amazing this season. Without Doncic in the league, he may be the league’s MVP this season. The point guard is scoring 31.1 points per game, dishing out 6.4 assists, and ripping down just shy of 6 rebounds per game.
Oklahoma City sits behind the Pacers and Celtics in scoring. The Thunder are scoring 120.7 points per game. The Thunder lead the National Basketball Association in three point percentage, as they are making over 39% of their shots. Oklahoma City also is the best free throw shooting team, at 83.2%.
The Thunder are at the Grizzlies on Saturday. Oklahoma City goes back home to host the Jazz next week, before heading out on the road for three in a row.
Thriller in OKC
This should be a really good basketball game. The Thunder have not lost two in a row very often this season. Oklahoma City knows in the final 17 games that the Denver Nuggets are not going to back down for that top spot. Also, the Timberwolves and even Clippers are right there competing for the top spots. These are all big games.
For Dallas, just a game behind the Suns for the 6th seed is a big deal. We like Luka to stay hot here. We are going to take the upset here and bet the Mavericks +245 on the moneyline. Oklahoma City falls for the second straight game. Bet the Mavericks +245!
