Dallas was poised to finally climb seven games over .500. They had won two straight and headed to Atlanta for a contest with the struggling Hawks. Two hours after the opening tip the Mavs were saddled with an L and down a starting point guard, too. Now, the Mavs are trying to stay afloat as the 41-8 Spurs make their first visit to the AAC.
You can bet on NBA odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
SCHEDULING
San Antonio will enter the All-Star break with a pair of back-to-backs with two days off in between. A visit to Dallas will be followed with Saturday’s home game against the Lakers. The Spurs will close out the first half of the season in Florida with games against the Heat and Magic next Tuesday and Wednesday. San Antonio owns the second-best record in the NBA thanks to an undefeated home ledger. However, it’s been a different story on the road, where the Spurs are 14-8 SU and 13-9 ATS. They’ve lost their last two away games, and quite convincingly. The Spurs were ripped 120-90 by Golden State on Jan. 25 and fell 117-103 to the Cavaliers last weekend.
The break can’t get here soon enough for the Mavericks, who failed to matchup with the Hawks and Heat while losing their last two games. An assortment of injuries has the Mavs using primarily a seven-man rotation. Six players topped the 30-minute mark in time played Wednesday and Dallas will likely be shorthanded again when the Spurs invade the AAC. It’s tough enough to compete against San Antonio with a full roster, and Dallas didn’t do that very well, losing the first two matchups against their division rival on the road.
INJURIES
Tim Duncan remains shelved with soreness in his right knee and, according to coach Gregg Popovich, there is no timetable for his return. Duncan has missed the last five games and the Spurs are 3-2 SU and 2-3 ATS in that span.
Mavs point guard Deron Williams was scratched from Wednesday’s game after injuring his hip Monday night in Atlanta and his status is day-to-day. Dallas was also without backup guard Devin Harris, who missed his sixth straight game with a left toe sprain. It’s the same toe that required surgery before the 2013-14 season. The backcourt chores have fallen to Raymond Felton and J.J. Barea.
KEY MATCHUP
LaMarcus Aldridge has now registered season-highs in scoring in back-to-back games, capped with a 36-point outing in Wednesday’s win over New Orleans. With no timetable on the return of Duncan to the starting lineup, his resurgence couldn’t have come at a better time for the Spurs. In addition to connecting on 12 of 20 shots, including all 12 free throw attempts, Aldridge snagged six rebounds and blocked three shots while playing tight defense on Pelicans’ forward Anthony Davis. Aldridge was locked in offensively and has been over the past two games, hitting 21 of 33 field goal attempts while being more aggressive calling for the basketball. His point total represented a San Antonio season-high for scoring and was the largest output by a Spurs player in over two years. It was also LA’s first 30-plus point game since netting 37 last January while with the Trail Blazers.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Mavericks have been treading water in the Western Conference much of the season and they’ll need to do it again through a flood of injuries. The Mavs were trying for the fifth time to climb further than six games above .500 when they visited Atlanta on Monday. For the fifth time they failed. Now, Dallas could be sliding closer to the break-even point with a game against the Spurs and their top two point guards likely sidelined. Center Salah Mejri has also missed time with a knee injury, forcing coach Rick Carlisle to employ a seven-man rotation. By the end of Wednesday’s loss to Miami, the guys were gassed. A short bench won’t work against the Spurs, who routinely use every available player. If the Mavs don’t get reinforcements, expect a long night and a San Antonio victory.
San Antonio 111, Dallas 103
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The game between the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks will start at 9:30 p.m. ET on Friday, February 5, 2016, at the American Airlines Center. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
