Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images Luka Doncic and his Mavericks are ready for a battle with his old rivals The Mavericks and Clippers will face off for a third time in four postseasons when things get underway on Sunday. The series opened as a “pick ‘em”, and the odds slowly shifted in Dallas’ favor. They were both -115 at one point, then Dallas stayed put while Los Angeles moved to -105. Another shift saw the Mavericks move to -125 and the Clippers to +105, before settling on the Mavericks being -130 favorites and the Clippers as +110 underdogs. Kawhi Leonard’s health certainly had a role to play in this, but Dallas ultimately is the better team. Here is what to look for when betting on the Mavericks and Clippers in the first round. Game Lines This series is going to be projected as a nearly even matchup the whole way unless Kawhi Leonard misses extended time and Dallas blows them out without him. Something to look for is close spreads, as these two teams have only played one game decided by less than five points in the playoffs, and none decided by less than nine this season. If you like the favorite in any game in this series, take them to cover. Taking Dallas to cover every game should be profitable as well. The Mavericks to win the series at -130 is a great bet. Dallas is simply better than the Clippers and after the series it will seem silly that the teams were seen as even beforehand. Game totals will be a bit unpredictable because of the defensive capability of both teams and each squad’s ability to explode on offense at any time. This is a series where the spread will not matter for the winning team each game. Player Props The first place your eyes should go is to Luka Doncic points props. He averages over 32 points in his playoff career and nearly 34 a game against the Clippers. Without Kawhi Leonard, or with him in a hobbled state, Doncic has an advantageous matchup against anyone on Los Angeles. Take his points as they’re below 34. The second place to look is at Daniel Gafford’s lines. He will probably get played out of the series much like Zubac and should go under a fair amount. This is a good matchup for Harden as well, so his points lines should be good to take if they stay under 18. Game 1 Odds up to date as of 12:30 PM CST on April 20th from DraftKings - Mavericks -1.5 (-115)
- Luka Doncic over 32.5 points (-118)
- Daniel Gafford under 16.5 points + rebounds + assists (-102)
- Terrance Mann over 8.5 points (-112)
- James Harden over 2.5 threes (-108)
Source: https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2024/4/20 ... e-clippers