Aiming to continue on the right track after a recent rough patch, the Dallas Mavericks head to Detroit on Thursday night to take on the Pistons.
This will be the first of two meetings between these teams, with the next coming at the end of January. This should be one of the better games on the NBA schedule tonight!
The Mavericks (10-10) halted a four-game losing skid against Golden State on Tuesday.
Prior to that, Dallas hadn’t won a game in over a week, dropping one to Denver at home and then losing to Boston, Toronto, and Milwaukee on the road. That was the longest losing streak in two seasons under coach Jason Kidd.
Mavericks’ Triumph Over the Warriors
The triumph over the Warriors came in large part because of Luka Doncic, who bucketed 41 points and notched his league-leading fifth triple-double.
Tim Hardaway Jr. chipped in with 22 points. His go-ahead shot was the last of six lead changes in a whirlwind of a final frame.
Detroit (5-18) is fading, having lost three in a row and 10 of its last 12. Their current slide includes defeats at Phoenix and at home against Cleveland and New York.
The Pistons watched Julius Randle pour in a season-high 36 points on Tuesday night en route to a 140-110 loss.
Isaiah Stewart led Detroit with 19 points, while Bojan Bogdanovic and Marvin Bagley III both added 13 points. Coach Dwane Casey chalked it up to a delayed reaction to the team’s recent West Coast swing.
Injuries Report
Both Stewart (foot) and Bogdanovic (ankle) were returning from injuries, but the Pistons were still missing two other starters.
The Knicks now have an 11-game winning streak over Detroit, which is the longest in the teams’ all-time series since the late 1980s. New York has put up at least 120 points in all three of their meetings this go-round.
Detroit Pistons vs. Dallas Mavericks Odds
We’ve taken a look at how both teams have done in NBA matchups as of late; now, let’s size this one up a little bit more by considering NBA odds and NBA team stats. We’ll start with the Mavericks vs Pistons odds.
No surprise here. The Mavericks are down as the favorite here, which is to be expected with Doncic’s talents and Detroit’s injuries, which we’ll talk about here soon.
Odds Breakdown
The Mavericks are -8 on the basket line at -110, while the Pistons are the same to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, Dallas is -330, and Detroit is a +265 underdog. The total is set at 221.5 points, with both the over and the under at -110.
Those are your Mavericks vs Pistons odds, so let’s take a look at the teams’ injury reports and some NBA player stats. Those are both important in making NBA picks.
Detroit Pistons vs. Dallas Mavericks Betting Preview
The Mavericks are relatively healthy at the moment. Guard Kemba Walker is day-to-day with an unspecified injury, while McKinley Wright IV didn’t take part in Tuesday’s contest because of an illness. He’s also listed as day-to-day.
League’s Most Statistical
Dallas boasts the league’s most consistent statistical scorer in Doncic, who averages 33.5 points per outing.
His 8.6 assists per game are the fourth-most in the NBA. He also paces the team in rebounds (8.8) and steals (1.8) per game.
Detroit is without guards Jaden Ivey (knee) and Cade Cunningham (lower leg). Bogdanovic is putting up 20.3 points per game, which is the best mark on the team. Center Jalen Duren pulls down 7.1 rebounds, and Killian Hayes dishes out 4.5 assists per game.
Detroit Pistons vs. Dallas Mavericks Betting Preview
With what we’ve seen in terms of Mavericks vs Pistons odds, this isn’t all that difficult of a pick to make.
Our Dallas Mavericks prediction will be for them to cover the spread, even though they’re on the road.
Some of the Detroit Pistons best players won’t be suited up, which surely won’t help them against such a good scorer. Detroit gave up a lot to New York its last time out. This one could get out of hand, too.
NBA Pick: Mavericks -8 (-110)
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