The Mavericks and Clippers head into game three of their first-round series tied at one game apiece. The Mavericks are the home team and are favored by 4.5 points. The over/under line is 210.5, and the money line odds are -196 for the Mavericks and +162 for the Clippers. Tip-off is at 8:00 PM ET from American Airlines Center in Dallas. ESPN is carrying the game on TV.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS VS DALLAS MAVERICKS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Los Angeles Clippers +4.5

This game will be played at American Airlines Center at 8:00 ET on Friday, April 26th.

WHY BET THE LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS:

  • We have this one finishing with a projected score of 120-118 in favor of the Mavericks.
  • Our projections have Luka Doncic finishing with Luka Doncic points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists.
  • From the field, we have the Mavericks finishing with a field goal percentage of 50.0% and knocking down 14 threes.

The Mavericks picked up a 96-93 win over the Clippers in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Clippers were favored by 1.5 points, but the Mavericks covered the spread. The game also fell 28 points short of the over/under line of 217 points.

James Harden and Paul George each had 22 points for the Clippers. However, their team only shot 36.8% from the field and made just eight threes. Luka Doncic led all scorers with 32 points, and he also had nine assists for the Mavericks. Dallas held the Clippers to just 26.7% shooting from beyond the arc.

Can Los Angeles Lock in a Road Win?

Today’s O/U line of 210.5 is lower than the Clippers’ season average of 227.2 points per game. The under has hit in each of their last four games.

LA’s ATS record for the season is 39-45, including a 20-21 mark on the road. As the underdog, they are 7-13 vs. the spread, and they have failed to cover in three straight games as the favorite.

Going into today’s game, the Clippers are 4.5-point underdogs. In their last game against the Mavericks, they were favored by 1.5 points but lost the game 96-93.

The Clippers finished the regular season with a record of 51-31, which is good for 4th place in the Western Conference. Against Western Conference teams, they went 30-22 and 21-9 in non-conference games.

In their most recent game against the Mavericks, the Clippers lost by a score of 96-93. The O/U line for that game was 217 points, and LA was favored by 1.5 points.

Offensively, the Clippers are 12th in the NBA this season, at 115.6 points per game. Looking at their pace, the Clippers are 27th in the league, averaging 96.6 possessions per game. The Clippers have been an above-average shooting team this season, with a team field goal percentage of 48%.

Bones Hyland has been playing well for the Clippers of late, averaging 28.5 points per game in his last two games. In these games, he hit 39.1% of his threes. For the season, the Clippers are getting 38% three-point shooting, which is the 4th best mark in the league. Over their last four games, both Paul George and James Harden are averaging 18 points per game.

On the season, the Clippers are giving up 112.0 points per game, which is 10th in the NBA. In their last five games, they have been even better, ranking 13th in points allowed at 108.6 per game.

Overall, Los Angeles has been solid at defending the three-point line, ranking 14th in three-point shooting percentage allowed at 36.2%. During that same five-game stretch, they have been even better, ranking 4th in three-point shooting percentage allowed at 30.9%.

One area where the Clippers have been strong all season is in steals, where they rank 9th in the league at 7.8 per game.

Will the Dallas Defense Show Up at Home?

The Mavericks are favored by 4.5 points at home today against the Clippers. This season, they have been favored in 52 of their 82 games and have gone 38-14 in those games. As the favorite, Dallas has an average scoring margin of +6.7 points per game.

Dallas has gone 21-20 against the spread at home this season and 33-19 as the favorite. Overall, their ATS record is 49-35, and they have covered the spread in their last two games as the favorite.

Coming into today’s game, the Mavericks have an O/U record of 37-47 for the season. The under has hit in their last five games, and their games have averaged 232.6 points per game compared to today’s line of 210.5.

In their last game against the Clippers, the Mavericks won 96-93 as 1.5-point underdogs. The game finished with a combined scoring total of 189 points, which was well below the O/U line of 217.

Dallas is currently 5th in the Western Conference with a record of 50-32. Against Western Conference teams, they are 31-21 and 11-5 against their division. The Mavericks went 19-11 in non-conference games and have a 26-17 record on the road.

This season, the Mavericks are averaging 118.7 points per game at home, which is 8th in the NBA. Overall, they are 8th in scoring at 117.9 points per contest. Dallas has gotten a lot of its offense from beyond the arc, as they are 3rd in made threes per game at 14.6.

Luka Doncic has been carrying the Mavericks offense of late, averaging 31.3 points per game in his last three games. He is shooting 41.3% from the field in that stretch. Over his last four games, P.J. Washington has hit 46.2% of his threes and is averaging 1.8 made threes per game.

Entering today’s game, the Mavericks defense is giving up 115.3 points per game, which ranks 19th in the NBA. In their last five games, they have been even better, ranking 9th in the league in points allowed at 107.2 per contest.

On the season, opponents have made 36.7% of their three-point attempts against the Mavericks, which is 20th in the league. In terms of rebounds, Dallas is 19th in the NBA at 42.9 per game.

Throughout the year, opposing teams have made more threes than their season average 59.8% of the time vs. the Mavericks. In terms of free throws, Dallas is 14th in the NBA in made free throws allowed per game at 21.6.