Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks will face each other on Friday evening in the NBA action. The home side wants to remain on the top of their division and secure the pole position ahead of the playoffs. The visitors are confident in the top two in their group, but they would like to challenge for the top.
Utah slipped away from the winning track, and the hosts look for the way back. They have been excellent on the home court lately, hoping to extend that streak. On the other hand, Dallas also enjoys a good form, and they look forward to continuing it. The away side wants to build up on their latest performance and secure another positive result.
Utah Jazz – Will they keep winning at home?
A six-game winning streak ended for the Jazz last time out, and they will be looking to return to the road of success. Nevertheless, the hosts still sit on the top of the Northwest Division with a 36-22 record, being two wins ahead of the Denver Nuggets and a game in hand. However, they suffered a defeat away to the LA Lakers, despite controlling the match after three quarters. Their performance drop in the final period cost them a 106-101 loss, as they let the Lakers turn around the results in the last minutes of the clash. Although Donovan Mitchell had 37 points, five assists, four steals, and three rebounds, he didn’t have adequate support from the others.
Donovan Mitchell leads Utah’s offense with 25.7 points, 5.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game on average. Bojan Bogdanovic produces 17.8 pts and 4.4 rebs, while Rudy Gobert dominates the paint with 14.8 rebounds per contest. The French center also contributes with 15.7 points and 2.3 blocks per match. Mike Conley tops the assists charts with 5.3 while producing 13.8 points on average. Two players won’t feature for the Jazz’s roster on Friday evening, as Jared Butler and Rudy Gay will be out of the contest.
Expected Line-Up: Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, Bojan Bogdanovic, Royce O’Neale, Rudy Gobert
with best odds
Dallas Mavericks – Can they book an important road win?
The Mavs sit comfortably on the 2nd spot in the Southwest Division with a 35-24 record, being 12 wins ahead of the third-placed San Antonio Spurs. Besides, they still have a chance to challenge the Grizzlies for the pole position since Dallas is six wins behind. The Mavericks go to this game full of confidence after booking two straight victories. They both came on the road, and they will eye the third in a row. Dallas was better than the Pelicans 125-118 in their latest outing, having an excellent 53.7 field goal percentage. Luka Docic had an amazing evening with 48 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists for 38 minutes on the court.
The Slovenian international has been the most productive player for the Mavericks with 27.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, nine assists, and 1.1 steals per match. Kristaps Porzingis has 19.2 pts, 7.7 rebs, a pair of assists, and 1.7 blocks per contest on average. Jalen Brunson averages 16.3 points per game, followed by 5.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds, while Tim Hardaway Jr. produces 14.2 pts. Regarding the selection status, Trey Burke and Marquese Chriss won’t be able to make appearances, while Reggie Bullock is questionable.
Expected Line-Up: Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson, Josh Green, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dwight Powell
Expert Pick #1 – Dallas Mavericks +5.5 @-110
Although Utah is a slight favorite in this game, it is going to be very tight. I think the visitors can pose some trouble to the Jazz, and the Mavs might cover the number here. I’ll back them as the first pick in this matchup.
Expert Pick #2 – Under 216.5 @-110
Dallas fancies a slower tempo, and they will try to implement it in this game as well. These two teams are in the top ten defenses in the league, and I don’t expect to see more than 216 points. Give me the Under as the second bet.
Expert Pick #3 – Donovan Mitchell Over 25.5 @-115
The Utah shooting guard was pretty efficient in his previous appearances against Dallas. He averages 33 points per match when facing the Mavs, and the margin here is quite favorable. He goes to this game after scoring 37 points, and I see him going over a 25.5 margin here. The odds are a bit lower than in the first two picks.
