The Dallas Mavericks have been perennial playoff participants and sometimes NBA title contenders over the past decade-plus, but have fallen on hard times this season. The team will aim to turn it around but will be the underdogs when they face off against the Utah Jazz on the road in a regular season affair.
Dallas is tied for the worst record in the NBA, as they are the lowest-scoring team in the NBA by a wide margin. The Mavericks must find some offense in order to have a chance at pulling this upset.
This war on the floor will go down Friday, December 16, 2016, at 10:30 p.m. ET at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The game will be televised live on ESPN.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Friday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Mavericks are only 6-18 straight up this season and are 10-14 against the spread. They have played on the road 12 times this season and have only covered in four of those matchups. Dallas is 9-14 against the spread as an underdog this season and will certainly be getting points once again.
The Jazz are 15-10 straight up and 14-10-1 against the spread. Utah is 7-5-1 against the spread at home this year and 11-4-1 against the spread as the favorite. The Jazz have excelled when the oddsmakers believe they will win and hope to continue that theme here.
Key Stat
93.5 That’s the points per game average for Dallas this year, which is nearly three points lower than any other team in the NBA. The Mavericks lost Chandler Parsons in free agency this offseason and while new addition Harrison Barnes leads the team in scoring, he isn’t getting much help.
Barnes is scoring 20.5 points per game and shooting 46.3 percent from the field this year. The team’s second-leading scorer is Wesley Matthews, who is averaging 16.5 points per game, while J.J. Barea, Deron Williams and Dirk Nowitzki are also averaging in double figures.
The problem is that Nowitzki and Barea have missed the majority of the season, which has led to the team’s horrific start.
Injury Report
Nowitzki has missed much of the season with an Achilles injury and is expected to miss at least another week. He is averaging 12.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, down significantly from his peak playing back when he was one of the NBA’s superstars.
Nowitzki is still a good player, and his absence is a big one. However, even a return to healthy won’t be enough to get the Mavericks into the playoff mix as he is close to retirement and is no longer an All-Star.
Barea is averaging 16.3 points and 5.4 assists per game and is another big piece but has missed all but nine games with a calf injury and is not expected to play in this one.
Nowitzki and Barea are a pair of longtime key members of the Mavericks and their absences are key in this matchup.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Jazz have played well this season, currently among a crop of the top teams in the West. While they aren’t as good as the Warriors and Spurs, Utah is aiming to remain in that next tier.
Gordon Hayward and George Hill are the leading scorers on the team, and they will aim to lead the way to a key victory. Dallas may get more formidable as the season goes on is Nowitzki and Barea can get back and become effective, but the team is short-handed for now.
The Jazz shouldn’t have too much trouble taking care of business against the Mavericks. Utah’s defense should be stingy and lead the way in this matchup.
NBA Odds: Jazz 99, Mavericks 88
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