Brooklyn Nets vs Dallas Mavericks (11/7/2022 – 9:45 pm EDT)
Line: Dallas -6
O/U: 213
Brooklyn Nets vs Dallas Mavericks Overview
The Eastern Conference and Western Conferences play for bragging rights with the Atlantic division’s Brooklyn Nets heading into American Airlines Arena to play the Southwest’s division Dallas Mavericks on Monday night. The Nets come into the matchup with a 98-94 road victory over the Charlotte Hornets while the Mavericks held on to beat the Toronto Raptors at home 111-110.
Brooklyn Nets Analysis
What can you say about the Brooklyn Nets other than, what the heck is going on with that franchise and Kyrie Irving? While there’s no end in sight with the Kyrie saga, the Nets still mustered up the will to beat the Hornets in a close game that Brooklyn won after coming back from being down double-digits in the fourth quarter. The win puts the team at 4-6 overall after 10 games thus far and tied for last in the Atlantic division. Brooklyn has gone a dismal 2-7-1 against the spread and 4-6 versus the over/under.
Many expected the Nets to be in the top class of the East but after 10 games they’re 9th in the Eastern Conference overall and suffering to collect rebounds and stop the other team from getting them. Brooklyn ranks 28th in the league with only 40 rebounds a game while they’re allowing opponents to grab 45.5 a contest. On a nice note, their offense ranks fifth overall in shooting efficiency with a 47.9% field goal percentage and have done even better at the free throw line where they’re shooting 82.5%, fourth-best in the NBA.
One big issue for the Nets is the availability of Irving represents 26.9 points a game, a huge hole in the offense if he’s going to miss any more than those five games which is absolutely a possibility at the rate he’s going. That being said, oldie but goodie Durant is leading the way way on offense, averaging 32 points a contest while adding six rebounds and 5.6 to the fray. Power forward Nic Claxton has been an early surprise this season for the Nets as he leads the team in rebounds (8.8 a game) and blocks (2.2).
Dallas Mavericks Analysis
The Mavericks have had a better start to the season than Brooklyn has but it hasn’t been without its ups and downs as the team finds itself heavily reliant on star point guard Luca Doncic. The downside of this is if Doncic gets injured the Mavericks would be in serious trouble but the bright side is that head coach Jason Kidd’s team has put forth great defense so far. Sitting at 5-3 overall, Dallas is 3-4-1 versus the spread through eight games but 6-2 against the over/under.
After trading wins and losses over their first five games, the Mavericks are on a three-game winning streak after beating the Magic, Jazz, and Raptors in that span. That being said, they almost lost their last game to Toronto after leading by 19 points in the third quarter. The win helped the Mavericks remain a top-10 defensive team as they hold opponents to 109.1 points a game, good for eighth overall. Dallas is the best in the NBA at keeping opponents off the boards, allowing just 39.1 a contest.
Doncic continues to blow people away with his play as he’s opened up his sixth season by going for thirty points or more in all eight games so far. His 35 points against Toronto on Saturday night brings his season average to an incredible 36 points a game to go along with 8.8 rebounds, 8.6 assists, and 1.9 steals per contest, leading the team in all four categories. Point guard Spencer Dinwiddie gives the Mavericks one of the most potent backcourts in the NBA with his 17.6 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.4 steals a game.
Free Pick – Over 213
With Kevin Durant on the Nets, it’s hard to count them out of any game even if they’re playing a solid defense in the Mavericks. These two squads already went at it this year, going to overtime in Brooklyn where Dallas escaped victorious with 129-125 victory. They played in March of last year with a 113-111 Dallas win meaning their last two games have averaged 139 points although one went to overtime. Still, with the Mavericks averaging 115.1 points a game and the Nets at 112.2, it’s hard to see this going below 213. We like the game to go over 213.
