With a feeling of invincibility the Dallas Mavericks will try to add another notch on their belt when they take on the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference final. After six unsuccessful tries the Mavs beat Utah to advance past the first round for the first time since winning the NBA title in 2011. They then knocked off No. 1 overall seed Phoenix as a big series underdog with a dominant Game 7 road performance. There is one more hurdle for Luka Doncic and the Mavs to clear and it’s not going to be easy. It appears as though the Warriors have returned to championship form behind Steph Curry emerging as the betting favorite in the NBA championship odds market.
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Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors Series Schedule
Game 1: Mavericks at Warriors, Wednesday, May 18, 9 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 2: Mavericks at Warriors, Friday, May 20, 9 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 3: Warriors at Mavericks, Sunday, May 22, 9 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 4: Warriors at Mavericks, Tuesday, May 24, 9 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 5: Mavericks at Warriors, Thursday, May 26, 9 p.m. ET (If Necessary)
Game 6: Warriors at Mavericks, Saturday, May 28, 9 p.m. ET (If Necessary)
Game 7: Mavericks at Warriors, Monday, May 30, 8 p.m. ET (If Necessary)
Series Price at BookMaker.eu: Warriors -207 / Mavericks +180
While the matchup may seem like a fluke since the Suns were supposed to be here, I guess the Mavs never got the memo. It’s not like they snuck into the playoffs and went on a massive heater. Actually it was just the opposite. Dallas won 52 games, their most since winning the title a decade ago, and they finished just one game behind Golden State in the congested Western Conference standings. So while they are an underdog the Mavs aren’t as far off as you might think.
The Mavs just shut down one of the best backcourts in the NBA to beat Phoenix holding Chris Paul and Devin Booker to a combined 21 points on 7 of 22 shooting in Game 7. Winning the series was a surprise; how they did it was more of a shocker. If anything don’t count Dallas out until the end. They beat Utah twice in the opening round with Doncic sidelined and rallied from a 0-2 deficit to take down the best team in the league with a dominant performance in the clincher.
Obviously Doncic is the catalyst. He scored 35 points on Sunday and is averaging 31.5 in the playoffs. He’s gotten plenty of help from Jalen Brunson, who picked up the slack when Luka was shelved for the start of the Utah series. He averaged 32 points in those three games helping the Mavs to a pair of wins. Brunson tallied 24 points on Sunday and averages 22.9 points in the playoffs.
Dallas won three of four regular season meetings with the Warriors, including a 107-101 win in San Francisco in late February, and dating back to 2019 the Mavs are 9-2 SU and 8-3 ATS in the previous 11 meetings. However, they didn’t face a full Warriors roster in any game this season and they rarely did in that 11-game span. They’ll have to contend with Golden State’s championship pedigree established by Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
On top of their big three the Warriors have tremendous depth with Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney among others. They can score the basketball, however more intriguing is the Dubs’ game plan to slow down Doncic, who averaged 31.5 points in four games against them.
For the most part the Warriors held the NBA’s second-highest scoring team during the regular season in check, limiting Memphis to an average of 105.6 points in games the Griz didn’t erupt for 134 in the previous round. With the teams having nearly identical playoff stats postseason experience could play a major role in determining a winner. And the Warriors have plenty of that.
Player to Watch
Doncic is already a superstar in the league with a chance to further cement his legacy now that the Mavs have advanced. It’s not all about Luka, but the Mavs aren’t playing for a trip to the Finals without him. Some of his biggest games have come against the Warriors with a 41-point, 10-rebound effort in a 9-point win in early March. He averaged 31.5 points in four games this season. Over the last three seasons he averaged 34.2 points in 10 games scoring at least 34 points six times. The Mavs are 6-0 in those games.
Mavericks vs. Warriors Free Picks
I really think the Mavs have a good shot at winning the series especially of Doncic plays with a chip on his shoulder. However, the Warriors have the gang back together and will give the Mavs a different look. Experience counts for something and the Dubs have plenty of that, which should help them in what I expect will be a long series.
Mavericks vs. Warriors Series Pick: Warriors in 7 Games
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