OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (37-29) at DALLAS MAVERICKS (42-25)
The Dallas Mavericks look to win their second straight after a recent rough stretch when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder this Monday.
Sportsbook.ag Line: Dallas -6, Total: 212
The Thunder have had a solid start to the month of March, going 5-2 SU (3-4 ATS) so far as they’ve been able to score in triple-digits each game. They've averaged 110.6 PPG over that time, and defeated their opponents by an average of 7.8 PPG. Their most recent meeting came at home against the Bulls and they were able to cover the 7-point spread with a 109-100 victory. Oklahoma City made 46% of its shots in the winning effort and absolutely dominated the boards with a 52-33 advantage.
The Mavericks have had their issues recently, losing SU in five of the past eight games (2-6 ATS) as they’ve scored a meager 87.8 PPG in that time. They’ve continued to do well at home though, and are 6-2 SU in their home arena since February 11th. Dallas may be getting back on track if its most recent performance is any indication as it hosted the Clippers while giving 2.5 points and turned in a huge 129-99 victory. Seven different players scored at least 14 points in the win as the team made an astounding 60.7% of their field goal attempts; including 16-of-28 threes (57% 3PT).
The Thunder should not be excited to be back on the road as they are a poor 14-20 SU (13-20-1 ATS) in away games and will be facing a Mavericks group that is 22-11 SU (14-17-2 ATS) at home. These clubs split the first two games of their season series with the home team winning each time by an average of 10.0 PPG. It was all Oklahoma City when they last matched up in late February as they grabbed a 104-89 win as 5-point favorites, holding the Mavs to a meager 36.3% shooting and 16 fewer rebounds. The Thunder have been able to get the best of Dallas for the most part in the past, going 6-3 SU (4-5-1 ATS) in the last three seasons, but have lost each of the past two times when on the road.
Some trends to watch include that the Mavericks are a poor 2-9 ATS (18%) after two or more consecutive Overs this year while also being 34-17 ATS (67%) after playing six or less games in 14 days in the past three seasons. A few injuries are still plaguing the Thunder with SF Kevin Durant (Foot) out and PF Serge Ibaka (Knee) questionable while Dallas has SF Al-Farouq Aminu (Shoulder) questionable and Amar’e Stoudemire (Finger) probable for this one.
The Thunder can put up some big numbers on any given night and they are averaging 102.6 PPG (10th in league) on 44.5% shooting (12th-worst in league). They have also held up fairly well on defense for the pace they play at, allowing 99.9 PPG to their opponents (13th-worst in league) behind 42.8% shooting (2nd in league).
PG Russell Westbrook (27.5 PPG, 8.3 APG, 7.2 RPG, 2.1 SPG) has almost single-handedly carried this team to their most recent victories behind 34.4 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 10.1 APG and 2.1 SPG since February 24th (nine games). He’s also averaged a solid 26.0 PPG, 9.5 APG, 7.0 RPG and 3.5 SPG in the two contests against the Mavericks.
C Enes Kanter (14.1 PPG, 8.1 RPG) is coming off a huge performance (18 points, 18 rebounds, 2 steals) against the Bulls and has three double-doubles in his past four outings. He saw Dallas three times as a member of the Jazz, putting up 8.3 PPG to go along with 8.0 RPG.
SG Anthony Morrow (9.7 PPG) has given the team a great spark off the bench and has netted 16.7 PPG over his last three games. He also showed up in the win over the Mavs most recently, making 7-of-13 shots for 16 points as he also grabbed two steals.
The Mavericks can get it done on the offensive end, scoring the fourth-most points in the league (104.6 PPG) as they hit on 46.1% of their shots (5th in league). They haven’t done quite as well on defense, though, allowing opponents to score 100.7 PPG (11th-worst in league) behind 44.7% shooting.
SG Monta Ellis (19.1 PPG, 4.3 APG, 1.9 SPG) has scored 20+ points just once in the past five games (16.0 PPG) as he shot a poor 39.5% from the floor. He’s been horrible when facing the Thunder this year, making just 8-of-33 shots (24% FG) as he goes for 12.5 PPG and 3.0 SPG.
PF Dirk Nowitzki (17.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG) has struggled with his shot recently, making just 38% of his shots in six March games with a mere 12.8 PPG. He scored just 14 points in the last meeting with this team, but went off for 30 points when they first saw each other in late December.
SF Chandler Parsons (15.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.0 SPG) has been solid since returning from a seven-game absence due to injury as he’s made 57% of his shots for 17.0 PPG and is coming off a solid showing (22 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals) in the win over Los Angeles. He didn’t do well (8 points, 7 rebounds) in the loss against OKC but did do a phenomenal job (26 points, 5 rebounds) in the high-scoring victory earlier in the year.
