The Dallas Mavericks have gotten off to a shaky start but are steering the ship in the right direction. They look to continue their upward trajectory when visiting the Washington Wizards at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
NBA Schedule
The NBA schedule gave every team Tuesday off for election day. The Mavericks began a road trip on Wednesday by visiting the Orlando Magic, while the Wizards enjoyed an extra day off.
Thursday’s game is a meeting of two teams trending in different directions. While the Mavericks are winning, the games have been closer than oddsmakers expected.
The Wizards have played better over the last four games than they’ve shown but lost a star player who is expected to be out Thursday.
Mavericks vs. Wizards Odds Breakdown
There are no Mavericks vs Wizards odds available as of this writing. But looking at the Dallas Mavericks schedule, this could be a game they are favored by four to six points depending on the status of Bradley Beal, who is listed out indefinitely with an illness due to health and safety protocols.
The Mavs were 5.5 road favorites against the New Orleans Pelicans, a similar opponent to the Wizards in terms of talent and record. So that seems like a realistic place for Mavericks vs Wizards odds to land.
Matchup Information
- Date and Time: Thursday, November 10, 7:00 p.m.
- Location: Washington, DC
- Venue: Capital One Arena
- How to Watch: NBA League Pass
Dallas Mavericks vs. Washington Wizards Betting Preview
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks have ascended up the NBA standings due to great defensive efforts to start the season.
They were expected to win the Southwest Division, though challenged by the Memphis Grizzlies, largely because of the play of Luka Doncic.
Luka Doncic as MVP
The superstar entered Wednesday averaging 36.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 1.9 steals per game – a pace that has him as a Most Valuable Player frontrunner through the first nine games.
He’s one of four Mavericks averaging double figures per NBA player stats, though the status of Christian Wood (15.6 ppg) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (11.5 ppg) is unknown for Thursday.
Wood is listed out for Wednesday with a knee injury, and Hardaway is questionable with a hip injury.
Mavericks’ Defense
Still, the defensive efforts have been solid on the perimeter particularly. The Mavericks are holding teams to 107.4 points per game, which ranks sixth.
Opponents are only grabbing 39.1 rebounds per game, the best defensive rate in the league. Teams are only converting 33.3% of 3-pointers, ranking sixth defensively, but are making 47% of field goals overall (22nd defensively).
NBA Team Stats
NBA team stats show the pacing of the Mavericks is a bit slower because they are only scoring 113 points per game, which ranks 13th. Their efficiency, however, has been dominant.
They rank third with a 47.9% field goal percentage. However, they are 17th in 3-point percentage at 35.7% and 24th in free throw percentage at 75.3%.
Washington Wizards
It has been an offensive struggle for the Wizards this season. They have the second-worst scoring mark at 107 points per game and are third worst on the perimeter, converting just 30.6% of 3-point attempts, NBA team stats show.
Those numbers should improve at some point, given they are 14th in converting 47% of field goal attempts and 12th in converting 78.8% of free throw attempts, but maybe not against a strong team defending the perimeter like the Mavericks are.
Wizards’ Defense
Defensively, the Wizards have been pretty good. They rank 11th in allowing 111.1 points per game and are ninth in limiting opponents to a 45.6% field goal percentage.
But those perimeter struggles continue to the defensive end, where they are third worst in allowing opponents to convert 3-pointers 38.2% of the time.
Rebounding has also been an issue as the Wizards are 18th at 43.8 rebounds per contest, though 14th in limiting opponents to 42.6 per game.
Beal likely being out does create greater issues in the backcourt. He’s averaging 21.6 points and 5.7 assists per game while knocking down 32.5% of 3-pointers.
The frontcourt has been very strong, with Kristaps Porzingis, Kyle Kuzma, and Rui Hachimura leading the way.
Monte Morris Performance
Monte Morris continues to be a solid point guard, with Will Barton not yet finding his stroke as an efficient scorer. Beyond that, though, the bench gets thin and young real quick, especially in the backcourt.
Porzingis will look to lead the way as he’s averaging 19.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, while Kuzma adds 17.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, with each converting 33.3% of 3-pointers.
Dallas Mavericks vs. Washington Wizards Betting Preview
The NBA matchups between the two are few and far between, being in opposite conferences. The Mavericks have won 46, and the Wizards have won 35 of the 81 regular season meetings between the two.
Of late, it has been pretty balanced. The Wizards swept last season’s series, while the Mavericks swept the year before. The two seasons prior, the teams split, protecting home court in each instance.
But it is the Wizards who are 6-1 against the spread in the last seven meetings, regardless of location. The over is 5-2 in those seven meetings, too.
This year the Mavericks are 3-5-1 against the spread, including an 0-4-1 mark in their last five games. The last four of those games were straight-up wins at home, however. The Mavericks are 6-3 on over/unders and are 1-2 straight up on the road.
The Wizards are 5-5-1 against the spread and 4-7 on over/unders. That includes a 3-1 stretch against the spread over their last four games, which is impressive with those three against-the-spread wins coming on the road. They are 2-3 straight up at home.
Who to Bet On?
It’s hard giving a great prediction not knowing the Mavericks vs Wizards odds or the status of several key players.
But both teams are still finding their way, and while the Mavericks are winning games straight up, they are losing against the spread. Perhaps they will get back on track against a couple of lesser opponents.
Then again, playing the second game of a back-to-back on the road may give the Wizards some juice, even without Beal. But we like the Mavericks to cover in that four to the six-point range.
NBA Pick: Mavericks -7 (-110)
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