There was a time not long ago when a midseason game between the Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks didn’t garner much attention. And it’s doubtful the matchup would air on a national broadcast. A few dynamic players can change the narrative and he we are, with two of the brightest young stars in the game going head to head. Luka Doncic has done things this season no other player in NBA history has leading the Mavs to a top-six in the West. The Hawks have relied on Trae Young to keep them in a play-in spot in the East.
The contest between the Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks takes place at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 18, 2023 from American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX and will air live on ESPN. BookMaker.eu will have odds for every game on the Wednesday NBA schedule.
NBA Opening Lines at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
Both teams have been inconsistent this season, which is why they are where they are in the standings. The Hawks win some then they lose some. They endured a four-game losing streak into early December going 1-3 ATS then alternated wins and losses over the next five outings. They opened their current road trip with wins over Indiana and Toronto giving them consecutive victories for the first time in a month. They’ve been just as chaotic at the betting window going 3-5 ATS over their last eight outings and 17-25-1 ATS overall. Only one team in the NBA has a lower cover percentage than Atlanta’s 40.5 and that’s Wednesday’s opponent.
Given their records and with Dallas playing at home the Mavs will be favored when the line surfaces. And that’s not a good thing for Mavs fans since they are 12-20-1 ATS when laying points at home. Over a week ago they looked indestructible stringing together seven straight wins with Doncic the catalyst. He scored more than 30 points in the last six of those, including three games with 50 or more points. And the Mavs needed every one of them since five of those games were decided by five points or less. During the streak the Mavs were just 3-4 ATS. The Mavs have won two straight series games and three of four in Dallas with the UNDER 3-1.
Atlanta Hawks
Unable to replicate their success from a few years ago when they made an improbable run to the Eastern Conference finals, the Hawks are just looking to find some consistency in their game. They enter the week 21-22 SU and 17-25-1 ATS after a big 114-103 win over Toronto on Saturday that helped them maintain ninth-place in the East standings. They played below the closing total in that game and cashed the UNDER in four straight and five of six games.
Young scored 29 points and Dejounte Murray had 27 leading six players in double figures. That’s been the story most of the season with six players averaging at least 12 points and two others scoring more than nine points. However, two double-digit scorers are currently out of the lineup with Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic on the shelf. The Hawks are 10-13 SU on the road, but they’ve won their last three.
Dallas Mavericks
It’s worth watching the Mavs just to see what Doncic does next. He’s had some huge games this season like that 60-point triple-double to help beat the Knicks in overtime. Doncic has scored at least 20 points in all but two of 44 games and his value to the team is magnified in games he struggles to score and, of course, when he doesn’t play. Luka was 7 of 19 and missed all five three-point shots for a season-low 15 points in Saturday’s loss to Portland. He tallied 19 points last month in a loss to Minnesota. The Mavs were 0-2 ATS in those games. Doncic also sat out four games with the Mavs going 0-4 SU and 1-2-1 ATS. The good news is that he should play on Wednesday with Dallas’ last game on Sunday.
Despite Luka’s offensive exploits the Mavs rank in the bottom half in points averaging only 112.5. They have been able to cash the OVER in 25 of their first 44 games. And they’ve been strong at home winning five of their last six at AAC with the only loss to the NBA best Celtics. The Mavs have won five of the last seven games with the Hawks going 3-4 ATS. The teams have also cashed the UNDER in two straight and six of the previous eight meetings.
NBA Odds Pick
Doncic usually doesn’t string together a bunch of bad games so look for him to be dialed in against a Hawks defense that has openings. And the Mavs aren’t just Doncic with several other pieces that can score when needed. Christian Wood is the real deal and Spencer Dinwiddie is lethal. The defense has been impacted by the absence of Maxi Kleber and Dorian Finney-Smith so there’s a good chance we see points.
NBA Odds Prediction: Dallas Mavericks / OVER
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