The rumors of Kyrie Irving going to Los Angeles have come true, except he’s not with the Lakers but instead with the Dallas Mavericks, who acquired the 30-year-old in a trade with Brooklyn earlier this week. Irving makes his debut on Wednesday’s NBA schedule when the Mavericks visit the Los Angeles Clippers.
Fans will have to wait to see how the dynamic between Irving and Luka Doncic plays out, as Doncic is slated to miss his third straight contest with a lingering heel injury. LAC will look to take advantage of that absence and continue their strong play as of late, going 8-2 over their past ten games to move into fourth place in the Western Conference.
Will Dallas having to adjust to Irving while also missing Doncic be the deciding factor in the Mavericks vs Clippers prediction?
Dallas Mavericks vs. LA Clippers Information
Dallas Mavericks vs. LA Clippers
Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles CA
Date and Time: Wednesday, February 8th, 2023, 10:00 PM ET
How to Watch: ESPN, Bally Sports | https://livestreamsports.co/
Dallas Mavericks vs. LA Clippers Recent Scores
The visitors are +7 point underdogs on the Dallas Mavericks odds for Wednesday’s matchup, as they’ve gone 1-1 in the last two games without Doncic. That includes a 119-113 loss at Golden State on Saturday (when the Warriors lost Stephen Curry in the third quarter to a knee injury) but then bouncing back for a 124-111 victory over the Jazz on Monday.
The LA Clippers stats are looking good lately as the team has won eight of their last 10 to go to 31-26 on the year. LAC just wrapped up a 4-2 road trip East of the Mississippi, most recently beating Irving’s former team, the Nets, 124-116 on Monday, fueled by 29 points from Paul George and 24 from Kawhi Leonard.
Dallas Mavericks vs. LA Clippers Betting Analysis
Dallas Mavericks Facts to Know
The biggest thing about Wednesday’s NBA matchups for the Mavericks vs Clippers prediction is just a lot of uncertainty on the Dallas side. Irving is putting up his usual solid NBA player stats this season (27.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 5.3 apg), but there will be an inevitable adjustment period getting familiar with Jason Kidd’s system.
Dallas has gone 1-1 without Doncic- who is expected to be back in action this weekend in Sacramento. Josh Green had a huge game on Monday night with a season-high 29 points out of nowhere, while Jaden Hardy also had his most productive game of the year with 29, so the Mavericks do have some depth.
The biggest thing to justify Dallas covering the point spread on Wednesday (or winning outright) is their defense, which is eighth in the NBA team stats allowing 112 points per game. LA is also averaging 129 ppg their last two, though, so that Mavericks defense will get a challenge here.
LA Clippers Facts to Know
It’s been fun to see what the Clippers can do when they are at least somewhat close to full strength. Both George and Leonard have put up 29.5 ppg over the last two contests, which is a lot of firepower for Dallas to have to counter without Doncic.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue has shrunken his rotation a bit as of late, and it has worked as LA has moved into the #4 seed, just a game back from the Kings. LA is just 14-11 at home this season, but that’s still an advantage over a Mavericks club that is 10-17 on the road.
Obviously, the top goals for Los Angeles are to not only get a top-six seed in the conference – but, most importantly, keep George and Leonard healthy for the playoffs, so we’ll likely see their minutes cut a bit next month. For now, though, it’s all about stacking up wins for the Clippers.
Updates
Doncic remains out for Dallas, who are also a bit short on the front lines, with Davis Bertans and Maxi Kleber, who are both out until likely after the all-star game. John Wall is the only player on the injury report for LA as he continues to work his way back from an abdominal injury that has kept him out since mid-January.
Dallas Mavericks vs. LA Clippers Betting Preview
The Clippers are a -7 point favorite for Wednesday’s matchup and -300 on the ML. A Dallas upset win would cash at +250.
Dallas Mavericks vs. LA Clippers Betting Prediction
You can throw out past trends ahead of the Mavericks vs Clippers prediction because Dallas is a new team with the addition of Irving – but also the absence of Doncic. Leonard and George are hot for the Clippers, but you have to think there’s energy and excitement on the Dallas side as they have retooled for another run at the Western Conference crown.
Pick: Dallas +7
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