The NBA action on Saturday, November 26, is starting with this inter-conference tilt in Canada, and here you can check out the best Mavericks vs. Raptors betting pick and odds.

Both Dallas and Toronto are hoping to avoid the third straight loss when they meet at Scotiabank Arena. The Mavericks are -2.5 favorites on Bovada Sportsbook, while the total is set at 216 points. These inter-conference rivals have already faced this season, and the Mavericks won that duel 111-110 in Dallas.

Mavericks lost to the Celtics after a poor first half

The Dallas Mavericks (9-8, 4-12-1 ATS) tried to bounce back from a heartbreaking narrow loss to the Denver Nuggets at home with a win over the Boston Celtics on the road, but that didn’t happen. Dallas trailed by 21 points at halftime at TD Garden, and although they played better in the second 24 minutes, the Mavs never had a chance. They allowed a season-high 125 points in a 125-112 loss and lost mostly because of the perimeter shooting as Boston hit 17 triples opposite Dallas’ 11.

Luka Doncic had another fantastic game as he posted game-high 42 points, game-high nine assists, and eight rebounds. Christian Wood posted a double-double of 26 points and team-high 12 boards, while Spencer Dinwiddie had 15 points, four rebounds, and four dimes.

PF/C Maxi Kleber has missed the past four games due to a lower-back contusion, but it is likely that he will face the Raptors on Saturday.

Shorthanded Raptors couldn’t hold the Nets

The Toronto Raptors (9-9, 10-8 ATS) also suffered a painful defeat against the Atlanta Hawks in overtime on the road, and unsuccessfully responded at home against the Brooklyn Nets. The shorthanded Raptors displayed one of their weakest offensive performances of the season by scoring 98 points in a 112-98 defeat. They allowed Brooklyn to score 38 and 39 points in the first and third quarters, respectively and shot just 35.6% from the floor.

Gary Trent led the Raptors with 19 points and team-high three steals. OG Anunoby followed him with 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two thefts, Chris Boucher posted a double-double of 12 points and game-high 16 boards, while Juancho Hernangomez recorded a double-double of ten points and ten rebounds, along with three thefts.

PF Pascal Siakam (foot), PF/C Precious Achiuwa (ankle), SF Scottie Barnes (knee), SF Justin Champagnie (back), and SF Otto Porter Jr. (foot) are out indefinitely and will not play on Saturday against Dallas. PG Fred VanVleet (illness) and SG Dalano Banton (ankle) are questionable.

Trends:

Dallas:

  • 35-16-1 ATS in the last 52 games following a straight-up loss

Toronto:

  • 2-6 ATS in the last eight games overall
  • 1-4 ATS in the last five games following an ATS loss
  • 1-6 ATS in the last seven games following a straight-up loss of more than ten points

Dallas Mavericks vs. Toronto Raptors Pick

Let’s face it, the Raptors are missing several key players and that’s the biggest reason I am going with the Mavs in this one. Luka Doncic is going to dominate this game just like he did in the previous H2H in which he scored 35 points with eight rebounds, six assists, and three steals. I expect to see similar numbers on Saturday from one of the early MVP award candidates. I can’t see how the Raptors can beat the best defensive team in the NBA without at least two (and likely three) regular starters, who have been averaging around 58 points per game combined.

Pick: Take the Mavericks at -2.5 (-110)

The Total

The aforementioned statement is in tight correlation with my next pick because without Siakam, Barnes, and possibly VanVleet, the Raptors are doomed. Dallas has the best defense in the league that is allowing 106.5 points per game, while Toronto’s defense is also not bad, the 10th overall with 110.1 ppg allowed. The Mavericks have the slowest offense in the NBA with 95.1 possessions per 48 minutes, while Toronto is only slightly faster with 97.6. Under is 5-2 in the last seven H2H meetings, while Under is 11-4-1 in the previous 16 H2H duels in Toronto.

Pick: Go Under 218.5 points (-125)