Mavs vs. Warriors Betting Line has Golden State at -18
Carrie Stroup here with your Mavs vs. Warriors betting line for Wednesday night (January 27) Golden State -18, Total: 216.5
DALLAS MAVERICKS (26-21) at GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (41-4)
The Warriors put their perfect home record on the line when the Mavericks come to town on Wednesday.
The Mavericks faced the Lakers at Staples Center on Tuesday and came away with a 92-90 victory as 6.5-point favorites. Dallas had lost its previous two games, so the win was much needed for a team that has its heart set on making the playoffs.
The Warriors, meanwhile, are coming off of a 120-90 victory as 4.5-point home favorites against the Spurs. Golden State has won four straight games by double digits and has shot 52% or better from the field in three of those four games.
These two teams have met just once this season and the Mavericks won that game 114-91 as 3.5-point home underdogs. Golden State did play that game without PG Steph Curry (30.3 PPG, 6.5 APG, 5.3 RPG, 2.1 SPG) though. The Mavericks have really struggled at Oracle Arena over the years, losing five straight games in Golden State and seven of the past eight as well.
One thing that favors Dallas in this game is the fact that the team is 14-5 ATS after playing a game as a favorite this season. Yet, Golden State is 30-13 ATS after two straight wins by 10 points or more over the past two seasons.
The Mavericks are coming off of a tough game in Los Angeles and PF Dirk Nowitzki (17.6 PPG, 6.7 RPG) actually saved the day for his team. Nowitzki buried a midrange jumper to win the game with two seconds left in that one. He is still as much of a matchup nightmare as he has always been and he will need to have a good game against the Warriors on Wednesday. He had 18 points and eight boards the last time these teams met and another performance like that would put his team in a good position to win.
PG Deron Williams (14.1 PPG, 5.5 APG) can also really help the Mavericks by playing at a high level in this game. Williams will be matched up with Curry all night and if he does not come to play on both ends of the floor then Golden State will wipe the floor with Dallas.
Another guy that will really need to play well is SF Chandler Parsons (11.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.5 APG). Parsons looks as healthy as ever at this point in the season and his knee injury is far behind him. Over the past five games, Parsons is averaging 24.0 PPG, 6.6 RPG and 3.0 APG. He could see a lot of time matched up against Draymond Green in this one, so he would need to be ready to play physically on the defensive end. Dallas is going to have no choice but to play Parsons at the four spot a little and he can’t afford to play a lousy game in this one.
The Warriors are back to playing their dominant brand of basketball and that has everything to do with the otherworldly play of Steph Curry. Over the past five games, Curry is averaging 34.8 PPG, 7.0 APG, 6.2 RPG and 2.6 SPG on 55.4% shooting from the field and 51.7% shooting from three. He has the ability to knock down bad shots at a high clip and that’s what makes defending him so tough. If he can stay hot then the Mavericks have almost no chance to pull off an upset at Oracle Arena.
What also helps the Warriors is that PF Draymond Green (14.6 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 7.3 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.3 BPG) is around to do the dirty work. Green is a threat to put up a triple-double on a nightly basis and is also one of the best defenders in basketball. He will spend a lot of time trying to shut down both Nowitzki and Parsons on Wednesday.
One guy that Golden State would like to get going is SG Klay Thompson (20.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.4 APG). Thompson is averaging just 14.5 PPG over the past two contests and he is just 4-for-13 from the outside in those games. He is one of the best shooters in the league and it would take some pressure off of Curry if he can start knocking down some shots of his own.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter