NBA Betting May 21 – Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers came close last season to playing in their first conference final. A collapse against the Nuggets in the second round and spotty play from superstar Paul George cost them. They will go as far as the duo of George and Kawhi Leonard will take them, and both players enter the postseason healthy after injury bouts during the campaign. For the second straight season the Clippers play the Dallas Mavericks in the opening round and the Mavs have been one of the NBA’s best over the last few months behind the strong play of Luka Doncic. Bookmaker.eu offers a generous welcome bonus (max bonus $1600).
Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Clippers
Date and Time: Saturday, May 22, 2021, 4:30 p.m. ET
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
Opening NBA Odds: Clippers -4.5, O/U 221.5
Mavericks at Clippers TV Coverage: ESPN
Odds Analysis
Following a loss to Phoenix in early February that left the Mavs five games under .500, they ended the season going 34-17, registering the fourth-best winning percentage in the NBA over the span. It wasn’t good enough to catch the top teams in the conference, but it did pull them out of the play-in tournament. They went the last month of the season without losing consecutive games going 12-4 SU and 9-7 ATS, though they were just 1-3 ATS in their last four outings. The Mavs are catching 4.5 points on the opening line and they are 14-11 ATS when playing as an underdog. The Clippers basically conceded the last two games sitting out George, Leonard and several other regulars. It didn’t affect them since they were already locked into the No. 4 seed. They ended the season at 47-25 SU and 39-32-1 ATS while posting a 26-10 home record. Despite what has become a lengthy break for the team’s regulars, Leonard insists the Clips will be dialed in mentally on Saturday.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs had a little more balance in their offensive attack this season, but make no mistake it’s Doncic’s team and he needs to perform at an MVP level for the team to have success. Doncic averaged 27.7 points, 8.6 assists and 8.0 rebounds while making 48 percent of his field goals. He averaged over 30 points in three games against the Clips with Dallas winning two of them. The Mavs are a tough out now that Kristaps Porzingis has a settled role in the rotation. It took most of the campaign for him to fully recuperate from his injury issues and he looks to be in good form heading into Game 1. Porzingis averaged 20.1 points in 43 regular season games with Tim Hardaway Jr., Jalen Brunson and Josh Richardson all scoring more than 12 points per game to balance the scales.
This should be a confident club after closing the season strong and taking two of three from LA during the regular year. Dallas’ only visit to the Clips was one to remember and should inspire the group. Back in December the Mavs posted a 124-73 win building an NBA record 50-point halftime lead. The teams played below the total in all three meetings with the UNDER at 4-0 in the last four hookups.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clips were among the favorites to win the title at the start of the season and they still are, though there are some concerns heading into Saturday’s contest. Dealing with their share of injuries, the Clips rarely had their presumed group of starters on the floor. Giving everyone additional rest before Game 1 should make them fresh, but you have to wonder if the chemistry will be there. And you also have to wonder if George overcame the issues that plagued him in the bubble. He said he was dealing with depression last year while isolated and it affected his game. He shot just 27 percent from behind the arc in the first round series against Dallas.
George is in a much better spot now, and apparently so are the Clippers. They have said on numerous occasions that they are a different team entering this postseason than they were last year. The bench has changed and so did the coaching staff with Tyronn Lue looking to win another title. “Whole different team, different coaching staff. Everybody wants to be here. Everybody is playing their role the right way and we all have one goal and we are all committed to it,” Marcus Morris said.
Bet Mavericks at Clippers at BookMaker.eu
One game doesn’t make a series but it sure goes a long way to seeing how the playoffs might shake out. George has plenty to prove after last season and he said he’s in a better place mentally. That means a lot for LA’s offense, which had a tremendous season shooting the three-pointer. The Clips led the NBA in three-point shooting and were fifth in overall field goal percentage, so you can never count them out of a game.
NBA Score Prediction: Clippers 118, Mavericks 111
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