Dallas Mavericks at Denver Nuggets
Thursday, 2/10/11, 7:30 PM EDT, TV: TNT
Opening Point Spread: Denver -3
Current Betting Line: Denver -3
Opening Total: 210.5
Current Total: 210.5
Dallas carries in the longest winning streak in the league after capturing a 102-100 win on Wednesday night at Sacramento. The Mavericks leaned heavily on the play of Jose Juan Barea in the latest contest due to All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki feeling the effects of a sore wrist. Nowitzki is averaging 30.7 points in his last three games versus Denver, which has helped the club win 16 of 20 in the series when scoring at least 25 points. The team is 37-15 overall this season and a solid 17-7 on the road, including a 9-3 mark against the Western Conference. Dallas is 6-1 ATS as a road underdog of three points or less this season and currently within that range on the NBA lines page.
The Mavericks have actually dropped seven of the last 10 games in this series, while the two teams split the home-and-home last year with the road team winning each time. Dallas has won two of the last three match-ups at the Pepsi Center, after losing four straight up until January 13, 2009. The squad is looking to record its second double-digit win streak in a season for just the second time in franchise history. The Dallas bench has been instrumental in the team’s recent play, averaging 59.0 points per game over the last two games.
Denver has lost five of its last seven games and may have a tough time in picking up a victory Thursday night due to facing a defense that is allowing just 96.2 points per game over its current winning streak. The Nuggets are averaging an NBA-best 110.3 points at home this season and will shoot for the century mark, as the Mavericks have lost five of seven when allowing more than 100 points. Point guard Chauncey Billups will need to be on the court to make that possible, as he suffered a strained left knee injury on Monday, but he is expected to play tonight. Denver is 15-18 ATS as a favorite this season and 80-80 ATS in this situation the last three years.
The Nuggets are a solid 21-7 at home this season, including a 13-6 mark against Western Conference opponents. Denver leads the NBA in scoring at 107.7 points a night and posted 114 points at Golden State, marking the 22nd time this season that the club has scored 110-plus points. The points haven’t exactly led to automatic wins, when considering that four of the team’s last seven opponents have scored 110-plus points, with the team going 2-5 in those games.
Bettors are likely to back the Nuggets due to their 14-4 ATS mark in the last 18 meetings, while the Mavericks are 3-7 ATS as an underdog.
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