Golden State at Dallas
Time: 7:30 PM CT, NBA LP
Spread: GSW -7
Total: 219
Odds c/o 5dimes
The Golden State Warriors have reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference after winning eight of its past 10 games. The Warriors now travel to face the struggling Dallas Mavericks on NBA League Pass at 7:30 (CT). The Dubs are 7-point favorites over Dallas, with the over/under set at 219 points for the game according to NBA oddsmakers at bookmaker 5dimes.
GOLDEN ST.
Golden State won its past outing 141-128 over the Memphis Grizzlies and has won three of its past four, with a loss against the Charlotte Hornets sandwiched between ‘Ws’ over the Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers. In the win over Memphis, Stephen Curry returned from an ankle injury to drill 10 three-pointers en route to 38 points and three assists. Kevin Durant chipped in 20 and Klay Thompson had 21 on 8 of 19 shooting. Golden State knocked down 18 of 33 threes as a team, while committing just 10 turnovers in a high-paced game that saw the Warriors amass 37 team assists.
Golden State is averaging 30.5 assists per game as a team on the season while shooting 39 percent from three team-wide. Curry is just one of four shooters over the 40 percent mark, with Kevin Durant nearly being a fifth at 39.5 percent. Klay Thompson is having a tremendous, if quiet, season at 20.7 points, four rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 48.4 percent from the floor and 45 percent from three.
Durant is still over 50 percent from the floor and nearly 90 percent from the line, as he attempts to join the 50/40/90 club this season. The Warriors are rolling on the strength of its main three scorers, with jack-of-all-trades Draymond Green doing a little bit of everything, including leading the team in assists at 7.6 per game. Expect the Warriors to have its way with the Dallas Mavericks, but keep a close eye on Dennis Smith Jr. of the Mavs, he has been hot and the Dubs will need to slow him to prevent an upset.
DALLAS
The Dallas Mavericks are heating up. The Team has won its past four contests to improve to 13-25 on the season, and it will test its luck in tonight’s matchup with the Warriors. In Dallas’ win-streak, the Mavericks have knocked off Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Indiana and Toronto, winning the four games by an average of five points per contest. Smith Jr. had a triple-double in the win over New Orleans, with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and he had 19 points and six assists in the win over OKC. The rookie is averaging 13.8 points, 4.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game in 27 minutes a night, and the eye test has revealed an electric rookie that could be one of the 2017 classes’ best. Smith comes from N.C. State and is a strong 6-foot-3 guard in the mold of Baron Davis, able to finish over big men and create contact in the lane. The upside is tough to measure, but with Dirk Nowitzki fading, the time to hand the reigns off to DSJ and Harrison Barnes is now.
Barnes leads the team in scoring at 18.4 points per game, but he is posting a PER of just 15.9 due to mediocre shooting percentages. He attempts 15.3 field goals per game, but he still has not improved his three-point shot much, nor is he a threat in many sets out of isolation. Nowitzki is seeing less than 10 field goal attempts per game but still averaging 12 points and 5.7 rebounds per night. The Mavericks have an assemblage of effective role players but have been disappointed with one in particular.
Nerlens Noel is in a contract season and averaging just four points and four rebounds per game, showing much of the laziness that caused teams to pass on him last year as a free agent. Wes Matthews is still an effective three-point shooter at 37 percent, but he is nowhere near the player he was prior to injuring his knee while he was in Portland. The Mavericks essentially bank on improvement from Smith Jr. and Barnes, while the team has plenty of holes to address in the 2018 draft and this summer’s free agency.
