Washington Wizards at Dallas Mavericks
Monday, 1/31/11, 8:30 PM EDT
Opening Point Spread: Dallas -9.5
Current Betting Line: Dallas -9.5
Opening Total: 198
Current Total: 196
Washington enters tonight’s contest with an 0-23 road record and will look to snap the string of losses in the first game of a back-to-back set in Dallas Monday night. The Wizards began their current four-game road trip with a 124-117 double-overtime loss to the Thunder on Friday night and then dropped a 107-93 decision versus the Grizzlies. “We felt good about Friday night and we just didn’t carry it over,” said coach Flip Saunders. “We had some guys who did, but when you are missing guys, and your are not at full strength, you can’t have a couple of guys play.” The squad is 5-12 overall against the Western Conference, but carries in an 0-8 mark on the road against such opponents. Washington is 6-17 ATS on the road this season and is nearly a double-digit underdog on the NBA lines page.
The Wizards will be meeting the Mavericks for the first of two meetings tonight, as the two teams will meet against on February 26th in Washington. The two teams split last season’s series at one game apiece. Rookie point guard John Wall is the go-to guy for the team, leading all Eastern Conference rookies in the month of January in scoring (13.7) and assists (10.5). Nick Young is also providing the lineup with some offensive firepower this season, averaging a career-high and team-high 17.0 points per game. He left the last game in the fourth quarter with a calf injury. “We don’t stay consistent,” he commented on the team’s road play. “We need to play calm. It’s crazy.”
Dallas will look to win its fifth straight and push its home record to 8-4 when hosting Eastern Conference foes. The Mavericks have won three of the last four meetings with the Wizards and nine of the last 14. The team seems to be clicking on all cylinders currently due to an impressive 102-91 win over Atlanta on Saturday, which placed seven players in double figures. “It’s about spreading it around,” said guard Jason Terry. “Offensively, guys are penetrating in and it’s beautiful.” One guy the team will focus on getting the ball to is forward Dirk Nowitzki, who averaged 31.0 points and 7.0 rebounds against tonight’s opponent last year. Dallas is 6-1 ATS versus Southeast Division teams this year.
The Mavericks have put together a string of at least four consecutive victories four different times this season. Dallas has been incredible at the charity stripe over this period, knocking down 100-of-111 (.901) attempts. Center Tyson Chandler has also started gaining notice with his recent play, averaging 20.3 points in the last three games, which is more than double his season average. “Coach Carlisle has given me some more plays, given me some more looks,” he commented. “Because of that I’ve gotten more aggressive.
Bettors will likely back the Wizards due to the underdog being 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings, while the Mavericks are 1-5 ATS versus the Eastern Conference.
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