NBA Picks: Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs

Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs
Wednesday, 1/8/14, 7:00 PM EST
Opening Point Spread: San Antonio -7.5
Current Betting Line: San Antonio -5.5
Opening Total: 209
Current Total: 208.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

Mavericks-Blazers series preview — Dallas Mavericks F Dirk Nowitzki has been shutdown by the San Antonio Spurs recently

Dallas snapped a two-game losing streak in picking up a 110-97 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers as 10-point home favorites Tuesday night, while going UNDER the betting total for a fourth time in five contests. The Mavericks are 8-9 SU on the road this season, including a 4-7 mark versus Western Conference opponents, which is important to consider when making your NBA betting picks. Offensively, forward Dirk Nowitzki is still the leader, as he’s averaging 21.1 points per game and comes off a 27-point performance. Dallas is 21-15 SU and 25-11 ATS in January the last two-plus seasons.

The Mavericks have dropped six consecutive games against the Spurs, which is their longest losing streak in the series since a nine-game run from 1996-99. Dallas has been outscored by an average of 16.0 points over that span, which can’t be ignored when looking over the NBA betting lines. It’s important to point out that the team has won its last four road games by limiting foes to 44.7 percent shooting.

San Antonio has won five of six games, including a 110-108 overtime victory over the Memphis Grizzlies as six-point road favorites Tuesday, while going OVER the betting total in three consecutive affairs. The Spurs are 13-5 SU at the AT&T Center this season, including a 7-3 mark versus conference rivals. The franchise is 7-2 in second games of a back-to-back situation. San Antonio is 1-2 SU and 0-3 ATS as home favorites of 6.5 to 9 points this season, with the OVER going 2-1 in that situation.

The Spurs have tremendous depth on the roster, as their bench leads the NBA in scoring 46.0 points a contest, while ranking sixth in grabbing 16.2 rebounds per game. San Antonio also ranks second in the NBA in averaging 25.2 assists per game, while it happens to be the only team ranked in the top-five in both offensive and defensive efficiency.