Dallas Mavericks are currently placed 11th in the West, with a record of 25-36. Despite somewhat poor overall record, they are enjoying 3 consecutive wins at home stadium, with Pelicans (96:83), Heat (96:89) and Grizzlies (104:100) all failing to defeat them. Looking at past 5 games, including away games, they are holding a 3-2 record. Last match Dallas played was against Grizzlies, which resulted in 3rd consecutive win for Dallas at American Airlines Center (104:100). First half did not show us much, as teams went into locker rooms with only 1 point separating them (51:50). 3rd quarter that followed was where Dallas got their lead of additional 6 points, which arguably won them the match in the end. Being 7 points ahead of their opponents (79:72), Dallas needed to hold on to their lead for the final 12 minutes, and they managed to do so, despite playing poorly in 4th quarter. Dallas offence had a poor 35.3% shooting accuracy in 4th quarter, whereas they let Memphis with 47.6%FG. Despite that, 7 points seemed as enough to secure the win in the end. Shooting wise, teams were close, Dallas held a 47.6% accuracy, whereas Grizzlies had 46.3% accuracy. Top scorers of the match: Conley (30pts), Randolph (24pts) and Curry (24pts).
Oklahoma City Thunder ended their 4 game winning streak with a defeat against Portland on Friday (114:109), to which they added another defeat against Suns (118:111) a day later. Now with two consecutive defeats, they will be hoping to get back on track with a win against Dallas. I should just point out, that Oklahoma is not known for spectacular performances on the road, well actually they are really bad looking at recent games. In the last 10 away games, Thunder only won twice, which is a concerning fact. Looking back at their match against Suns, Oklahoma started the match strong, accumulating a 5 point lead before heading into 2nd quarter, much of that success is due to Suns being unable to score the basket (28.6%FG), whereas Thunder held a 50% accuracy. 2nd quarter was the quarter game turned around, and it stayed that way till the end. Suns outscored Thunder by 8 points (35:27), thus getting a 3 point lead by the end of 1st half. 2nd half was no better for Thunder, with Suns getting another 5 points to their lead in 3rd quarter, leading to Thunder trailing by 8 points before last 12 minutes. Catching up to a team that is 8 points ahead in 12 minutes is a tough job and it proven o be too hard for Thunder to accomplish it. They did manage to reduce the lead to 7 points, but it did not help much. Top scorers of the match: Westbrook (48pts), Bledsoe (18pts) and Booker (17pts).
Verdict & Prediction
Both teams will be missing 1 player. Thunder will be without Oladipo, whereas Dallas will be missing Barea on the pitch tonight. On the other hand, Matthews will be playing, despite his appearance being questionable. Thunder already proven to be strong team at home, but on the road it’s a completely different picture. That might cause them some problems today, as they are facing a strong home team, who has proven before they should not be underestimated at American Airlines Center.
Prediction: Dallas Mavericks -1.00 point
Odds: 1.94 SBOBET
