Mavericks vs. Clippers Odds, Pick, Prediction | NBA Betting Preview

Mavericks vs. Clippers Odds

With the acquisition of Kyrie Irving for the Dallas Mavericks and the pairing of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard finally healthy for the Los Angeles Clippers, this game could be a sneak preview of the Western Conference Finals. Both teams have seen their future odds to advance to the NBA Finals rise recently.

Unfortunately, Luka Doncic will not be playing in this matchup, which is why the Clippers are such heavy home favorites.

The Mavericks are 1-7 without Doncic this season while averaging only 109.4 points per game.

Even with the addition of Irving, the Clippers have the clear advantage in this spot tonight.

Kyrie Irving Debuts With Dallas Mavericks

Not only will Irving play his first game for the Mavericks tonight, but he will be unleashed as Doncic is out his third-straight game with a heel injury. Expect Irving to capture most of the usage in this matchup against the Clippers.

Newly acquired Markieff Morris is also making his Mavericks debut.

Irving is averaging more than 27 points for the second consecutive season with more than five rebounds and assists per game. Morris, meanwhile, hasn't provided much production in his 13th year in the league, but playing against twin brother Marcus Morris should bring out something in the veteran. Newcomers Irving and Morris will have plenty on their plate to make sure the Mavericks are competitive tonight.

Despite playing with a limited roster, the Mavericks were able to win on the road against the Jazz by 13 points last game. Getting Christian Wood back after missing eight games is also critical for the team moving forward. In only 19 minutes, Wood nearly grabbed double-digit rebounds.

In his first season with the Mavericks, Wood is averaging 18.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while shooting 53% from the field. Before his injury, Wood was dominating with more than 20 points in eight of his last 10 games. He recorded four massive double-doubles over that span with massive block numbers.

With it being the first game for Irving and with Wood working his way back from injury, this is a tough spot to back the Mavericks without Doncic. The Clippers are allowing 110.9 points per game this season, which ranks as the third-best in the league. They have a suffocating defense with two of the top wing defenders in the league. Irving may get his, but the Mavericks will struggle.

Road Warrior Los Angeles Clippers Return Home

The Clippers return home for the next three games after having a fantastic road trip. They did have one island home game against the Spurs in which they won by nearly 40 points. Including that victory, the Clippers have won eight of their last 10 with nine of those games coming away from Staples Center.

Their only losses were by one point to the Bucks and a back-to-back against the Cavaliers in which both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George sat out. The Clippers are one of the healthiest and hottest teams in the league right now. The George and Leonard duo has proven to be lethal in their recent winning streak.

During their streak, Leonard and George have combined to average 52.4 points per game. They have shown rebounding upside as they tower over all other Clippers in usage rate. The Mavericks rank 24th in Defensive Rating and just lost one of their best defenders in Dorian Finney-Smith. Good luck.

Outside of the dynamic duo, Ivica Zubac is averaging a double-double for the first time in his career. He should feast in this matchup against Christian Wood and the weak Mavericks frontcourt. They rank 29th in Rebounding Percentage (47.4%) entering tonight's game. Zubac will have his way in the paint tonight.

Norman Powell in his first full season with the Clippers has shown scoring upside, especially when one of George or Leonard is out. They have covered the spread in each of their last four games against the Mavericks and have a great chance to make it five in a row with Doncic sidelined due to injury.

Mavericks-Clippers Pick

The Mavericks are 19-34-2 against the spread this season, which actually ranks last in the league. No Doncic is going to be a major problem against this stout Clippers defense.

Expect a low-scoring game as both teams rank in the bottom five of Pace this season, with the Mavericks ranking second-to-last.

Not only have the Clippers won their last four games against the Mavericks, but each game went under the total. Even though the under is intriguing, I will take the Clippers at -7.5 in this spot.

That may seem like a lot of points, but I would rather take a wait-and-see approach with the Mavericks, especially with Doncic out. I would bet this up to -9 tonight.

Pick: Clippers -7.5 (-110) | Play to -9

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