Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves will close Monday’s NBA action with a clash at American Airlines Center. The home side is on the right track to the playoffs but wants to get back on the winning track. The visitors are on the victorious run, and they look forward to picking up where they left off.
Dallas returns home after five straight road matches, and they weren’t successful in the latest two. Nevertheless, the hosts will finish the regular season in the top two in their division. On the other hand, Minnesota has improved its game recently, and the away side’s confidence is very high. They fight for the best position possible ahead of the post-season and want to continue their winning run.
Dallas Mavericks – Can they bounce back at home?
The Mavs finally end their road tour, and they can be content with it. However, after three straight wins, they lost twice in a row. Nevertheless, they are still comfortable in 2nd place in the Southwest Division with a 43-28 record, being six wins behind the Memphis Grizzlies. Dallas goes to this match after losing to the Charlotte Hornets 129-108 in their most recent outing. Although Luka Doncic had 37 points, four rebounds, and three assists for 30 minutes in the game, he didn’t have adequate support from his teammates.
Doncic has been the most dominant player in the Mavericks’ offense with 28.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on average. Spencer Dinwiddie produces 17.5 pts, 4.2 assists, 3.2 rebs, and one steal per match, while Jalen Brunson contributes with 16.1 points, 5.1 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per contest. Dallas won’t have any selection issues ahead of this clash, and they have a clean bill of health.
Expected Line-Up: Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson, Reggie Bullock, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dwight Powell
with best odds
Minnesota Timberwolves – Will they keep winning?
The Timberwolves have been running hot lately, and they head to this match after celebrating four times in a row. They are now second in the Northwest Division with a 42-30 record, having the same score as the third-placed Nuggets and being three wins behind the Utah Jazz. Minnesota was pretty confident in the past four games, especially in the latest one when they were better than the Bucks 138-119. They had a very good 51.1 field goal percentage, while Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns led them to the victory by combining for 50 points.
Karl-Anthony Towns leads the Timberwolves’ offense with 24.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 blocks, and one steal per match on average. Anthony Edwards averages 21.1 pts, 4.7 rebs, 3.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per game, while D’Angelo Russell contributes with 18.5 points, 7.2 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per contest. Malik Beasley is another player that produces a double-digit number of points. Regarding the selection issues, Minnesota cannot count on Jaden McDaniels, while Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid are listed as questionable.
Expected Line-Up: Patrick Beverley, D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards, Jarred Vanderbilt, Nathan Knight
Expert Pick #1 – Dallas Mavericks -2 @-110
The Timberwolves will be sweating if Karl-Anthony Towns doesn’t make an appearance in this match. Without him on the court, Dallas has the chance to get back on the winning track and cover the number. I’m sticking with the hosts in this one as my first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Under 230 @-110
Although Minnesota has been on fire in the offense over the past few matches, they will face one of the best defenses in the league. The Under cashed five times in both sides’ last seven games and could be a good play here. I’ll take the Under as my second bet.
Expert Pick #3 – Minnesota Timberwolves Under 114.5 @-120
The Timberwolves went over a 114.5 margin three times in a row, but the Mavs allowed that number of points only once in the previous eight games. If Minnesota’s most productive player misses this game, the visitors will likely stay under a 114.5 margin. It’s going to be my third pick at the slightly lower odds than the first two.
