Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Clippers Betting Preview
There is nothing like a Game 7! While every other first-round matchup in the NBA playoffs has been decided, the Dallas Mavericks (3-3) and Los Angeles Clippers (3-3) will battle it out to see who moves on to face the top-seeded Utah Jazz. The Clippers will host this one from the Staples Center, with tipoff scheduled for 3:30 pm ET.
The Clippers were able to avoid elimination in Game 6 by pulling out a 104-97 victory. In the win, Kawhi Leonard led all scorers with 45 points. Paul George had a double-double going for 20 points and 13 rebounds, while Reggie Jackson added 25 points.
In the loss, Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 29 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 23 points while Boban Marjanovic added 12 and nine rebounds.
The Clippers are the favorites playing at home. They are -250 to win while the Mavericks’ moneyline is +205. The spread features Dallas +6 (-110), and the over/under for total points is 210 (-110).
By The Numbers
In terms of scoring, the Los Angeles Clippers have been the stronger team this season. They rank 12th in the NBA, averaging 113.6 points per game. The Dallas Mavericks rank 18th averaging 111.9.
Defensively, it is once again the Clippers with the advantage, although both of these teams rank in the top-10. The Clippers rank third, allowing opponents an average of just 107.6 points per game. Dallas ranks eighth, allowing 110.1 points.
Doncic Looks To Lead Mavericks To Round Two
If the Mavericks have any chance of winning this series, guard Luka Doncic is going to have to play like the superstar that he is. Luckily for Dallas fans, he has been playing to that level most of the season.
In fact, this series, he leads the Mavericks averaging 34 points, 9.7 assists, and eight rebounds in 39.3 minutes per game. For good measure, he is also averaging 1.5 steals per game.
Still, he can’t do it alone. To his credit, Tim Hardaway Jr. has performed admirably as he is averaging 18 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.
Who Dallas would really like to step up is Kristaps Porzingis. After averaging 20.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game during the regular season, he is averaging just 12.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game this series.
Los Angeles Looks To Break Home Losing Streak
One of the true oddities of this series is that home-court advantage really hasn’t existed. In fact, the road team has won every game thus far in this series.
On Sunday, the Clippers will try to buck that trend with a win at the Staples Center. Despite the trend in this series, the Clippers should feel confident, given they went 26-10 at home during the regular season.
Leading the way for the Clippers is the talented tandem of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Through the six games of this series, Leonard is averaging 32.8 points on 60.5% shooting while also adding 7.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
For Paul George, he is averaging 23.8 points per game along with 9.5 rebounds and five assists per game.
Taking Dallas And The Points
Truly, anything can happen in a Game 7. With both sides having superstars that can dominate a game, this one could go either way.
For that reason, the smart bet seems to be on the spread, which features Dallas +6. It also doesn’t hurt that Dallas is on the road, and the visiting team has won every contest in this series. Take Dallas and the points.
