The 2022 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Finals tip off Wednesday, May 18, when Golden State hosts Dallas at Chase Center in San Francisco, so we have prepared the best Mavericks vs. Warriors betting pick and odds.   

According to MyBookie Sportsbook, the Warriors are 5-point home favorites for Game 1, while the Mavericks are listed as +175 moneyline underdogs with a total of 214.5 points. Dallas and Golden State met each other four times this past regular season, and the Mavericks won the series 3-1. 

The Mavs stunned the Suns in the semis          

The No. 4 Dallas Mavericks needed six games to eliminate the No. 5 Utah Jazz in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. They met the No. 1 Phoenix Suns in the conference semifinals, upsetting the odds in seven games to reach their first Western Conference Finals since 2011 when Dallas won the championship. 

The Mavs have dominated the Suns over their last two meetings. They smashed Phoenix 113-86 in Game 6 at home, while Game 7 saw a surreal outcome, as the Mavs routed the Suns 123-90 as 6.5-point road underdogs. 

Luka Doncic was torturing the Suns in the previous round, tallying 32.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. Spencer Dinwiddie had 30 points in Game 7 against Phoenix, while Jalen Brunson has averaged 22.9 points so far this postseason. The Mavericks enter the conference finals without Tim Hardaway Jr., who’s done for the season due to a foot injury, while all other guys are ready to go. 

The Warriors eliminated Memphis but didn’t impress  

After a comfortable victory over the No. 6 Denver Nuggets in five games in the opening round, the No. 3 Golden State Warriors beat the No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies in six games in the conference semifinals. The Dubs struggled a lot in the previous round, although the Grizzlies have missed Ja Morant in the final three contests of the series. They suffered an embarrassing 134-95 defeat in Game 5 in Memphis but responded with a 110-96 win in Game 6 at Chase Center. 

Stephen Curry led the way for the Warriors, averaging 26.0 points and 5.8 assists per game in the Grizzlies series. Still, Curry made only 41.8% of his field goals and 32.6% of his 3-pointers. Klay Thompson dropped 30 points (eight triples) on the Grizzlies in Game 6, while Jordan Poole (19.3 PPG this postseason) has scored only 29 points over the final three contests against Memphis. 

The Warriors are without James Wiseman (knee), Andre Iguodala (neck), and Gary Payton II (elbow). Otto Porter (foot) has missed the previous two games, and he’s probable for Game 1 versus Dallas. 

Trends:

Dallas:

  • 4-1 ATS in the last five games overall 
  • 4-1 in the last five games against Golden State  

Golden State:

  • 2-6 ATS in the last eight games overall
  • 1-6 ATS in the last seven home games against Dallas  

Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors Pick 

The Mavs and Suns match up with each other very well. They love to play small-ball lineups, so I’m expecting to see a tight opener. Hereof, with five points on the table, I’m backing the underdogs to cover. Dallas owns a lot of weapons in its backcourt to deal with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson and keep it close down the stretch. 

The Mavericks were allowing their rivals to shoot 33.9% from beyond the arc over the last 13 games. On paper, Luka Doncic is the best player in this matchup, and the Warriors could struggle to deal with the Slovenian superstar. Still, Luka will need help from his teammates, especially Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie. 

Pick: Take Dallas Mavericks +5.0 at -110    

The Total:

The Mavericks love to play at a slow pace. They were recording only 92.5 possessions per 48 minutes through the first two rounds of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. On the other side, the Warriors were tallying 99.8 possessions per 48 minutes, as they had to deal with the Grizzlies, who prefer to push the ball in transition whenever they can. 

I’m looking for the Mavs to control the flow of the opening clash. The under is 7-3 in their previous ten outings. Two of four regular-season encounters between the Mavericks and Warriors went under the total. 

Pick: Go under 214.5 points at -110