Teetering Mavs Host Thunder
Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks have felt the pressure of late. Can they get past the Thunder and make a move towards securing a playoff berth?
Facing a tough final stretch, the Dallas Mavericks will look to gain ground in the Western Conference playoff race Tuesday as they host the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Tip-off at American Airlines Center is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET.
With 11 games left on the docket, Dallas (42-29, 23-12 home) remains in a fierce battle to secure a coveted playoff berth in the talent-rich Western Conference, but recent results have shown the some chinks in the armor.
Rick Carlisle’s side has lost two of its last three – including a 107-104 overtime decision on Sunday as Jason Kidd and the Brooklyn Nets came to town – and is just 6-6 over its last 12. This poor run of form has placed the side in a very precarious position.
The Mavericks are currently tied with the eighth-seeded Phoenix Suns, and sit one game back of the seventh-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in the loss column. On the outside looking in, thanks to current tiebreakers, the Mavericks can no longer afford losses, something Carlisle will be preaching to his side. The three teams look set to see the battle out until the end of the season, with upcoming head-to-head fixtures garnering even more importance.
Before Dallas meets Memphis and Phoenix in its last two contests of the season, the side needs to run a gauntlet of tough contests. A pair of games against the Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Clippers and games with the Western Conference-leading San Antonio Spurs and playoff contending Golden State Warriors will all feature in the lead up to the postseason.
But before that, the Mavericks must contend with the frontrunner for the league MVP award and his surging Thunder side.
Northwest Division-leading Oklahoma City (52-18, 23-11 road) has won its last four contests and six of the last seven, waving goodbye to a poor run of form that saw the side go 3-5 between February 20 and March 9. Now the team is looking to round out into playoff form.
The Thunder earned a 117-96 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night, despite playing without Russell Westbrook, who is day-to-day as he rests a knee ailment. The victory means the Thunder can clinch a playoff berth with a win over the Mavericks on Tuesday.
Kevin Durant had 27 points in the win over Denver, bringing his streak of scoring 25-plus points to 35 games. The Mavericks will be charged with trying to snap that streak at American Airlines Center.
The Mavericks managed to snap a different streak when the sides met earlier this month, putting the halters on an 11-game losing streak against the Thunder.
Dallas’ veterans got their say in that matchup (Mar. 16), with Shawn Marion (19pts), Vince Carter (18pts), Dirk Nowitzki (17pts) and Joe Calderon (16pts) all scoring in double digits. The Mavericks shot 40-of-75 (53.3%) from the field in that game, including 13-of-24 (54.2%) from downtown. The end result was a 109-86 victory, a result that marked Oklahoma City’s worst loss since February 2011.
The Mavericks will hope for more of the same on Tuesday.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Dallas Mavericks odds for 03/25/2014
Oklahoma City (-135) opened as the favorite over Dallas (+115) on the moneyline.
Prior to Dallas’ win earlier this month, the Thunder defeated the Mavericks 107-93 in OKC back on November 6, leaving this season’s head-to-head series tied at one-apiece.
The Thunder has dominated this series in recent years though, taking 11 of the last 12 meetings between the two sides, including five straight at American Airlines Center.
The spread opened at 2.5.
Dallas (38-32-1 ATS) and Oklahoma City (38-31-1 ATS) have posted almost identical records against the spread this season, and have each covered once in the head-to-head series.
Neither has had much success in recent days though, with the Mavericks posting a 1-3-0 ATS record and the Thunder tallying a 2-3-0 ATS record. The Thunder is 21-13-1 ATS on the road while the Mavericks are 15-19-1 ATS at home.
Oklahoma City is 12-3-1 ATS in its last 16 visits to Dallas.
The total opened at 213.
Dallas (39-32-0) has favored the over this season while Oklahoma City (35-35-0) has split the over/under right down the middle. The under has paid out in both of their head-to-head matchups this season. The over has failed to pay out in the previous four meetings between the sides.
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