Dallas Mavericks at San Antonio Spurs
Friday, 11/26/10, 8:30 PM EDT
Opening Point Spread: San Antonio -4
Current Betting Line: San Antonio -4
Opening Total: 197
Current Total: 196
Current Moneyline: San Antonio -175 / Dallas +155
Dallas won three of four regular season meetings against the Spurs last year before being eliminated by the them in the playoffs. The Mavericks picked up a 111-103 victory at Oklahoma City in their last game, overcoming a seven-point deficit that was sparked by the great play of forward Dirk Nowitzki. He scored 34 points in the victory and enters tonight’s game as the second-leading scorer in the NBA at 26.4 points per game, shooting a career-high 53.6 percent from the field. “The thing I like about this team is that they never quit on a situation,” said head coach Rick Carlisle. “They keep encouraging each other and we just looked for good things to happen.” Dallas is 6-0 ATS on the road this season and the NBA lines page has them as an underdog.
The Mavericks were led by Nowitzki’s offensive game in the season series against the Spurs during the 2009-10 season, averaging 28.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 39.8 minutes. It’s important to note that Nowitzki went to the line 15 times against the Thunder and the team is 3-0 when he manages to attempt at least 10 free throws in a contest. Defensively, Dallas has held the opposition to 92.4 points per game thus far, which is fourth-best in the league. During the 2009-10 season, the team allowed 99.3 points a contest, which ranked 15th in the NBA.
San Antonio enters with a league-best 13-1 record that includes a 7-1 mark at the AT&T Center. The Spurs were fortunate to come away with a win versus the Timberwolves on Wednesday, rallying from 21 points down in a 113-109 overtime win. “We ere down 20, nothing was falling, we’re not playing with the kind of aggressiveness and energy that you need to overcome a deficit like that,” said Manu Ginobili. “I thought it was going to be a loss.” The team was 1-for-16 from three-point range through the first 2 1/2 quarters, but found a way to hit four in row down the stretch to close out the third quarter and enter the fourth. San Antonio is 0-2 ATS versus division opponents this year.
The Spurs hold an 83-61 advantage over the Mavericks in the all-time series, including a 47-25 mark at home. San Antonio won the first game of the series last year before losing the next three games. With the win over the Timberwolves, San Antonio extended its best start in team history. The team’s previous best start in history was 9-1. “I don’t even notice it,” said head coach Gregg Popovich. “Every game is a game and we don’t even think about it. We’ll lose our share.” The franchise has recorded 11 straight 50-win seasons, which is the second-longest streak in league history.
Bettors will be interested in playing the Mavericks due to their 16-4-1 ATS mark on the road, while the home team is 3-0-1 ATS in the last four meetings.
