basketball | Četvrtak, Februar 23, 2023 11:12 AM

Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio Spurs Bet Builder Tips: Johnson Leads Spurs Comeback

Milan Stanojic

Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio Spurs Builder Tips: Thursday, February 23rd

I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t wait to get my hands on some NBA action tonight. The Mavs lock horns with the Spurs tonight at American Airlines Center for the second time this season. Their first encounter was a close 125-126 win for the Mavs in early January, and we’re hoping for a similar result here tonight.

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Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio Spurs Preview
Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio Spurs Bet Builder

Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio Spurs Preview

Fri, Feb 24th. 01:30 (UK time)

The Dallas Mavericks have acquired Kyrie Irving this trade deadline just before the All-Star break and we can already see some early returns on that investment. Despite losing both games that Luka and Kyrie have played together, the Mavs’ offence is already improving. They will still need some time before they can get their team chemistry to an acceptable level, but this is not the basis for our time tonight. The Mavericks have one of the worst defences in the league, which is why they have been the absolute worst team against the spread this season.

The Mavs are 24th in defensive rating this season, and despite being the second-slowest team in the NBA, they still allow an average of 112.5 points per game. Whilst this isn’t terrible for NBA standards if you take a look at a team with a similar pace rating like the Miami Heat who allow just 108.3, it makes you think. It doesn’t make a difference if they play at home or on the road, the Mavs can’t cover the spread to save their lives, and fading them has been a very good idea this year.

And tonight, we’re doing just that. I absolutely love the potential Luka and Kyrie have on the offensive end, but they will need some time before they can get to working temperature. They are available at just 1.10 odds to win tonight and the spread is set at 13.5 points. Don’t you think that’s a bit off? I do, and I’m backing the Spurs tonight, and here’s why.

The San Antonio Spurs are on a 14-game losing streak, having covered the spread in just 1 of their last 10. They have been struggling on both sides of the floor, but their defence has been absolutely atrocious, ranking dead last in defensive rating and allowing 122.6 points per game. They have been dealing with some injury issues but the bottom line is, this is a young and developing team and they still have a long way to go before they can get back to winning. However, losing streaks like this can really shift the betting landscape, and I see this as a great chance to grab some value. They have had a week off to rest, recover and get back into a shooting groove.

Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio Spurs Bet Builder

The betting value is definitely with the Spurs tonight. Let’s face it, we don’t exactly know what to expect tonight from the Mavs, but defence certainly isn’t it. This is the perfect opportunity for the Spurs to get their offence going and… well not to win, but cover this huge spread.

Keldon Johnson is their top scorer and with Vessel injured and Poeltl traded, the team is entirely on his back. He had a huge game last time against the Mavs scoring 30 points and going 5-6 from downtown. He was in a shooting funk before the All-Star break, making just 5 threes in their last 7 games, but he shot almost 40% for three last season and we know he can bounce back.