Foul calls are up in the bubble; way up! Including technical fouls - the second called on Kristaps Porzingis with just over nine minutes remaining in the third quarter changed the entire landscape of the Game 1 matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers. Without the big man around to clog the paint and make an impact at both ends of the court, the Clippers would go on to log the 118-110 win and cover as 6.5-point favorites per the closing betting line at online sportsbooks. In doing so, LA moved to an unblemished 5-0 SU and ATS in the last five overall skirmishes which means they’ve won and covered all four played meetings with Dallas this season. Linemakers expect them to take the 2-0 lead this evening and build upon that win streak.
This game will take place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, August 19, 2020, and the game will be broadcast live on TNT. You can bet on NBA odds at BookMaker.eu the remainder of the playoffs.
NBA Playoff Odds at BookMaker.eu
Dallas Mavericks +6
Los Angeles Clippers -6
Over/Under 231
Head-To-Head Results
These teams have met four times this season including Monday night’s series opener. LA has come out on top each time and did so by an average of 10.3 points per game. The 126-111 final in the team’s first meeting in the bubble skewed that average margin of defeat up a bit with the other three matchups being decided by an average of 8.7 points per game. The under just managed to cash in Game 1 with the 228 combined points just falling short of the 230.5 closing total. Three of the four meetings have played to low scorers with an average of 223.8 points scored.
Game 1 Recap
The Mavs held a 71-66 lead early in the third quarter when Porzingis was ejected due to getting whistled for a ridiculous technical foul; his second of the game. The call was so bad that both LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki took to their respective social media outlets to voice their displeasure about it. Even so, Luka Doncic did everything he could to keep his team in the game by going off for a game-high 42 points on 13-of-21 shooting from the floor. The point tally was the most points ever scored in a playoff debut! Though Big D was still able to compete with LA on the glass even with its big man riding the pine, turnovers ultimately did them in. They committed 21 miscues and paid for a bulk of them dearly at the other end of the court. If they fail to curb their charitable ways, this series will be over real quick!
Matchup to Watch
Dallas did a sensational job keeping up with the Clippers near the rack in Game 1 only getting outscored 46-35 with Porzingis missing a bulk of the second half. In two of the three games prior, they were outscored 58-36 and 48-30 in the paint. Of those three, the lone game that was decided by single digits saw the Mavericks outscore the Clippers 44-34 close to the rim. With that, Rick Carlisle’s squad’s only hope of competing in Game 2 and making this a series is to go all out down low and prevent Los Angeles from dominating the paint. Drastically reducing the amount of turnovers would also be a bonus.
NBA Odds Pick
Many will be quick to go the way of the zig-zag theory and be of the belief the Mavericks find a way to stick close and possibly even the series up. Especially with the raw deal the refs handed them in the series opener. However, there’s absolutely nothing that leads me to believe that will occur when the teams lock horns once again on Wednesday night. As fun a team Dallas has been this season, LA has had no issues disposing of them whatsoever. In fact, I only foresee Doc Rivers’ troops buckling down even more with the defense allowing Doncic to go HAM and letting Dallas tickle the twine for a 46 percent success rate. LA is arguably the best team in the West if not the entire league. It will show in Game 2 as they limit Doncic and force his teammates to beat them – it isn’t gonna happen!
Prediction: Clippers 121, Mavericks 107
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