NBA: Washington Wizards vs Dallas Mavericks Preview, Odds, Prediction

Red-hot Washington Wizards go to Dallas in search of another victory. Their rivals, the Mavericks, are looking good in recent times as well, which promises a good and intense battle at the American Airlines Center. Both teams need to win, with their current situation demanding constant triumphs; otherwise, both the Wizards and the Mavs won’t fulfill their original goals. The team from DC wants to stay in the play-in zone, while Doncic and the crew want to keep out of the same.

Preview

Washington Wizards (29-34, +200) started pounding hard early in April, and since then, they have twelve wins in 14 games, looking unstoppable. They did have a bit favorable schedule, yet that fact can’t diminish this achievement.

Westbrook and the boys swept away the Cleveland Cavaliers last night in Ohio, 122-93, with Brody posting his 31st triple-double of the year, scoring 15 points and adding 12 boards and 11 assists. After the All-Star, he and Beal clicked, and we now see what the true capabilities of this unit are.

Beal didn’t have to spend too much of his energy, playing just 26 minutes and dropping 19 points. Though, his shooting percentage wasn’t very shiny, 8-for-24. Westbrook, too, was mediocre from the field, 5-for-12. On the other hand, Raul Neto played excellently with 17 points in 18 minutes and just one miss in seven attempts.

Dallas Mavericks (35-27, -250) had a brief meltdown but managed to pull themselves together before posting five victories over the last six games. Mos recent two were on the road in San Francisco against the Warriors, 133-103, and in Detroit, 115-105.

Rick Carlisle has a lot of troubles these days because his team is filled with injured players. We can’t quite remember when he had all of the guys at his disposal. In the last game against the Pistons, Luka Doncic and Dorian Finney-Smith sat out.

That is why Tim Hardaway Jr. had to step in and score 42 points, hitting six threes. Trey Burke was good off the bench, 15 buckets, and Jalen Brunson added 13, replacing Luka in the starting lineup. Kristaps Porzingis, who has many health problems this year, was out of the rhythm – 11 points, 5-for-11, and just one rebound.

Head to Head

Mavs won the first match in DC on April 3, 109-87. They would break the hosts’ resistance in the final period, outscoring them 34-20 during those 12 minutes. Luka scored 26 points, grabbed 8 boards and six assists. Brunson had 19 off the bench, the same as Tm Hardaway. Boban added a double-double 15 and 12 rebounds. Wizards appeared without Beal, so Westbrook took over the scoring duties, 26 points, and 14 rebounds. Neto added 16 and Robin Lopez 18.

Prediction

The line for the total number of points is 228.5, which is a perfect chance for us to bet on Over. Both Washington and Dallas play open, especially once they have an opponent with a similar mentality across the court. In those situations, they accept the run-and-gun approach and completely neglect the defensive duties. Since this is a clash between two units with close quality (who are, by the way, in very good form), our suggestion is to bet on Over, and avoiding picking the winner.