In today’s betting preview we will check out a match between the playoffs chasing Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks who hover around the bottom of Western Conference. The match will take place at Capital One Arena and it will mark the 2nd match between Wizards and Mavericks.
There is still hope in Washington for the playoffs spot, but those hopes get slimmer every day. As it stands now, Washington Wizards are sitting at 11th spot in the East with an overall record of 26-37, which puts them 3 games out of reaching Charlotte Hornets who hang on to the 8th place in the conference. Looking at Wizards performances in their recent 5 matches, they have won against Nets (116:125) and most recently Minnesota Timberwolves (135:121), while the same can not be said for matches against Charlotte Hornets (123:110), Indiana Pacers (112:119) and Boston Celtics (107:96). As for their last 10 matches, Wizards are only 4-6, which does not look too promising for their playoffs dreams. Nonetheless, Wizards are coming into the next match after a 135:121 win over Timberwolves on Monday, which they will translate into the next match against the struggling Dallas Mavericks.
Dallas Mavericks are looking into the future, in hopes to have a better chance to fight for playoffs next season. As it stands now, they are 13th in the West with a 27-36 record and a terrible 1-4 record in their last 5 matches played. Furthermore, Dallas are 2-8 in the last 10 matches. In their recent 5 matches, Dallas managed to defeat Indiana Pacers (110:101) but failed to do the same against Utah Jazz (125:109), LA Clippers (121:112), Memphis Grizzlies (81:111) and Brooklyn Nets (127:88) on Tuesday. There is no need to emphasise Dallas are in a bad shape, however, they do not seem to give up. At the end of the day, there is pride to gain or lose, which is why I expect them to come into the next match with their heads held high and drive to prove their worth.
Besides Barea and Porzingis, Dallas does not have any other absentees, while Washington remains without Wall and Howard. In that regard, teams did not report any additional missing players ahead of tonight’s match.
Dallas Mavericks have a lot to prove after their embarrassing defeats against Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday and Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday. Not only did they lose, but the fact that Nets won by 39 points, while Grizzlies managed to escape with a 30 point win would make anyone wonder how well are Dallas Mavericks prepared for Washington. Two blowout losses in a row would surely hit the morale of a team, but I do not believe Dallas Mavericks fall into that category. They are a team that still pushes through and does their best to prove their worth. It may not be obvious from their last 2 performances, but Dallas are a decent rebounding team, ranked as 11th best this season. Additionally, they are 9th best team when it comes to defending their 3pt line. Those two qualities will be a huge asset against Wizards, who are 6th worst team when it comes to shooting from behind the arc and the 3rd worst rebounding team in the league. This match favours Washington to win and start their climb to the playoffs spot, however, I believe the Mavs are more than ready to end their 2 matches losing streak with a solid performance tonight. This one should prove to be a close match, and I believe there is value on the visitors to hold the match within 5 points.
Prediction: Dallas Mavericks +5.50 Points
Odds: 1.956 Pinnacle
