The Los Angeles Clippers will be on the road to play the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday afternoon. A pair of clubs on the right side of the postseason cut line will square off in a Western Conference game on the floor. In their previous game on Friday night, LA defeated San Antonio 131-126 on the road, but failed to cover the spread despite being a 7.5-point favorite.
Dallas, a two-point underdog in the game, easily defeated Miami at home on Friday night, 115-90. The Mavs hold a 98-70 advantage in the all-time regular season series between the two teams. The teams have split their two meetings this season, with LA winning the most recent contest on January 10 at home by a score of 113-101.
After suffering two straight defeats, the Lakers finally recorded a victory on Friday night when they defeated the Spurs in a high-scoring contest. With a record of 24–24 heading into Saturday night's action, Los Angeles and the Warriors shared second place in the Pacific Division, four games behind the Kings.
Although they held the final guaranteed playoff slot in the West, they needed to win only one more game over the Thunder in order to stay in the playoff race.
With an average of 109.7 points scored per game this season, LA ranks 29th in the league in scoring offense. LA ranks 25th in assists per game with 22.9 assists while ranking 13th in rebounding (43.8 boards per night).
Before defeating Miami at home on Friday night, Dallas had lost three of their previous four games overall and five of their previous six. They were seven games behind Memphis for first place in the Southeast Division going into Saturday with a 25-22 record.
They were in fifth position in the West, 8.5 games behind the Nuggets in first place, 1.5 games ahead of Golden State in seventh place, and 2.5 games ahead of the Thunder in eleventh place.
Dallas averages 112.9 points per game this season, which ranks them 17th in the league in scoring offense. Dallas ranks 30th in the league in terms of rebounding with an average of 38.6 boards per game and 29th in terms of assists with an average of 22.2 passes per game.
Los Angeles Clippers vs Dallas Mavericks Match Details
Fixture: Los Angeles Cippers at Dallas Mavericks
Date and Time: Sunday, January 22 at 2:30 PM ET
Venue: American Airlines Center, Dallas
Los Angeles Clippers vs Dallas Mavericks Injury Report
Los Angeles Clippers vs Dallas Mavericks Betting Odds
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Los Angeles Clippers vs Dallas Mavericks Starting 5s
Dallas Mavericks
PG - Luka Doncic | SG - Spencer Dinwiddie | SF - Tim Hardaway Jr. | PF - Dorian Finney Smith Jr. | C - Dwight Powell
Los Angeles Clippers
PG - Terance Mann | SG - Paul George | SF - Kawhi Leonard | PF - Marcus Morris Sr. | C - Ivica Zubac
Los Angeles Clippers vs Dallas Mavericks Betting Prediction
In spite of LA's impressive offensive performance against the Spurs, allowing the opposition to shoot 57.3% from the field would still not help them win many games. Los Angeles is among the bottom of the NBA in terms of scoring, and they face a difficult challenge in dealing with a Dallas squad that plays solid defense.
The Mavs should be able to contain LA on that end of the court after absolutely shutting down the Heat on Friday night. Dallas needs to do more to develop its backup scoring options to support Doncic, but playing an underachieving LA squad will help them. Take Dallas to win at home and cover the spread in this one.
Pick: Dallas Mavericks (-125)
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