The Oklahoma City Thunder will be playing its first playoff series on the road, where it has struggled this season. It must learn to show up better in hostile environments, and hope to take that first step in a regular season meeting against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavericks have fallen from their perch as one of the Western Conference’s elite franchises, and thus this is a winnable game for Oklahoma City. However, if the Thunder stay with tradition this year they will leave disappointed.
Dallas badly needs this game as it tries to chase down a playoff spot and it figures to be a competitive game. The Thunder have the best player on the court but if he doesn’t get enough help it would not be a surprise to see the Mavericks emerge victorious.
This war on the floor will go down Sunday, March 5, 2017, at 8:30 p.m. ET at American Airlines Center. The game will be televised live on ESPN.
We'll have NBA odds available for this and every game on the NBA Sunday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Mavericks are 24-36 straight up and 33-27 against the spread. Dallas has played in 30 home games and performed very well, covering in 19 of them. The Mavericks have only been the favorite eight times this season but have covered in seven of those. They are more used to being the underdog, where they are 25-26 against the spread.
The Thunder is 35-25 straight up and 34-26 against the spread. Oklahoma City is just 12-17 straight up on the road and has gone 13-16 against the spread. The Thunder has covered in an impressive 25 games out of 36 as the favorite, but has only gone 9-15 against the spread as the underdog.
Player to Watch
Russell Westbrook -- The truth is it’s hard to keep your eyes off the Thunder’s point guard this season because he’s been so spectacular. The six-time NBA All-Star is averaging a triple-double this season and is single-handedly keeping Oklahoma City relevant despite the departure of fellow superstar Kevin Durant.
Westbrook is averaging 31.2 points, 10.6 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game and also leads the team in steals with 1.6 per game. In the Thunder’s recent win over the Utah Jazz on February 28th, Westbrook finished with 43 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
The 28-year-old scored 45 points the first time these two teams met back in January and has put up 40 points or more in three of the last four games he has played. He shows no signs of fatigue despite carrying such a heavy load this season and will be a big factor yet again in this matchup.
Key Stat
97.7. That’s how many points Dallas is averaging this season. The offense plays at a much slower pace than many teams in the NBA and will be looking to eliminate fast breaks from the Thunder in order to stay competitive.
The Mavericks fell 109-98 to the Thunder back on January 26th. The team hasn’t broken 100 points in the last six games it has played, going 2-4 in that span.
Harrison Barnes leads the offense with 20.6 points per game and he gets some help from Wesley Matthews and Dirk Nowitzki. The Thunder enter this contest averaging 106.3 points per game behind Westbrook.
While scoring is up throughout the NBA and most teams are comfortable averaging more than 100 points per game, Dallas looks like an old school group as it constantly fails to hit triple-digits.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Mavericks aren’t a horrible team but they have taken a big dip in recent years after winning a championship in Nowitzki’s prime. He is no longer a superstar and there is not enough help around him.
If this game was in Oklahoma City, it would be an easy call, but the location does leave some doubt. Dallas plays much better at home and the Thunder struggle on the road, so there is a train of thought to take the Mavs.
However, the presence of Westbrook knocks away that notion. He is going to dominate once again, putting the Thunder on his back and leading it to victory against an inferior opponent. Choose Oklahoma City against the spread as well.
NBA Odds: Thunder 104, Mavericks 95
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