Game 3 of the best of 7 series between the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder will take place on Saturday. This series is tied at 1, after the Dallas Mavericks won on the road in Game 2. This is the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. The winner heads to the Conference Finals where they will battle either the Minnesota Timberwolves or Denver Nuggets.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are the top seed in the Western Conference. The Thunder won their final five games of the regular season, and tied with Denver with a 57-25 record. The Thunder then won their first five postseason games, including a sweep over the New Orleans Pelicans.
For the Dallas Mavericks, they are the fifth seed in the West. Dallas went 50-32 in the regular season. Dallas won 7 out of their final 10 regular season games. In the postseason, the Mavericks eliminated the Los Angeles Clippers in six games.
In Game 3 – the Dallas Mavericks are -3.5. The total for this game is set at 219.
Dallas Mavericks Looking for Second Straight
In Game 1, the Mavericks did not get enough from their dynamic duo. Luka Doncic scored just 19 points, and Kyrie Irving had just 20. Dallas knew they had to get more from those two to win. Game 2 was much better for Doncic, with 29, while Irving still struggled, with just 9 in the game.
The big story in Game 2 was PJ Washington. Washington scored 29 points and ripped down 11 rebounds in the game. Tim Hardaway Jr and Josh Green combined for 28 off the bench for Dallas.
The Mavericks, as a team, scored 117.9 points per game in the regular season. Dallas made 14.6 three point shots per game, which was the third best in the league. Dallas held the Clippers to 101 points or less in all four wins.
Top Seed Looking to Get Back on Track
In the game two loss for the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still scored 33 points and recorded 12 rebounds. Jalen Williams also scored 20 points. Chet Holmgren had just 11, while Lou Dort scored just 8 in the game. The Thunder averaged over 13 three pointers made a game, made just 10 in this one.
Gilgeous-Alexander was in consideration for the league Most Valuable Player. The guard played in 75 games, and scored 30.1 points per game. Williams was second on the team with 19.1 per game, while Holmgren, who played in all 82 games, scored 16.5 points per game, and ripped down 8 rebounds per game.
During the regular season, the Thunder finished third in all of the league in scoring. Oklahoma City scored more than 120 points per game. Oklahoma City made just shy of 50% of their shots on the season, and made nearly 39% from downtown. The Thunder finished at the top of the league in steals, with 8.5.
Mavericks Stun Thunder for Second Straight Game
This is going to be a great series. The Oklahoma City Thunder have been great all season. They are a big time surprise to the league, but Dallas has some guys that are ready to knock them off. The Mavericks have some star power, and are ready to use it.
We like the Mavericks to win this game at home, and take the series lead here. When we bet on this game on Saturday, we are going to take the Dallas Mavericks. Bet Dallas -3.5 over Oklahoma City. Enjoy the game and best of luck with all your National Basketball Association betting!
