by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Mar 16, 2022
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
Where to watch: ESPN
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
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Caesars: Check back later
Season record
Mavs: 42-26
Nets: 36-33
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Mavericks - Nets preview and analysis
Mavs analysis
It’s about time we acknowledge that the Dallas Mavericks won the trade. There’s nothing more we can do here. Everything has been resolved to the best of our abilities and the Mavs are the winners of the weirdest trade of the season.
Spencer Dinwiddie has become everything Dallas could’ve wished for. Maybe Davis Bertans hasn’t been the greatest, but man, Dinwiddie just lining up for clutch shots every chance he gets and Luka Doncic just feeding him the ball has been one hell of a sight to see to this point.
The Mavs are coming off an incredible win against the Boston Celtics on Sunday – during Kevin Garnett’s jersey retirement day, no less – in a 95-92 win at TD Garden. Dinwiddie hit the game-winning 3-pointer with less than 10 seconds remaining off the feed from Doncic.
Dinwiddie finished with 18 points despite shooting 5 of 14, but he had four assists. Doncic, who was named Western Conference Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks, continued his late MVP run with 26 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
"That's the thing about LD, he's competitive," teammate Dorian Finney-Smith said of Doncic. "When he's out there, you're not going to be able to tell he's hurt. He still put up numbers like he did and wasn't even moving as fast as he usually does."
Dallas has won seven of eight and has closed the gap considerably on the Memphis Grizzlies for first place in the Southwest Division. Ultimately, that part may not matter, but what is important is the Mavs are closing in on the No. 4 seed in the West, the Utah Jazz. Homecourt advantage could be huge for these Mavs compared to last year. Another season given to them considering how last year ended could be all the confidence needed for the Mavs to make a run.
Nets analysis
So, good news. Kyrie Irving scored 60 points in a win for the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday against the Orlando Magic. Everyone throw a party because the Nets beat an inferior team with Kyrie on the floor. It's been great, everyone is happy and all is right in the world.
Except the Nets are playing the second night of a back-to-back and Irving won't be available for this game because New York's COVID policy. At best, the Nets have won four straight and have at least turned the sour thoughts on themselves as of late into positive reinforcement. The Nets are still very much in the playoff picture and if things can evolve at the rate they want with this vaccine policy, the Nets are very much in the running for all the shenanigans.
Irving scored 60 points in a 150-108 win over Orlando on Tuesday.
"The night after Karl Towns had an incredible performance, and then to have Kyrie do it the next night, the league is in an amazing place right now," teammate Kevin Durant said. "We're seeing a lot of talent displayed every night, and this was one of the elite ones."
"It just shows you we're on our way to history," Irving said.
Maybe not to that extreme, but nevertheless the Nets got a big night from their superstar and didn't need one from the other. Durant had only 19 points in 30 minutes and could appear well-rested after a 42-point victory against one of the worst teams in the NBA. That bodes well for the group that has to travel back for the second night on a back-to-back and a game against one of the best players/teams in the league.
Prediction
There's a different vibe around this Mavericks team with Jason Kidd at the helm. I didn't think it was possible, and I certainly didn't expect it to result in a much better defensive team with so many weapons that can be deployed. If it's just Durant, the rest of the Nets are going to need to play a much better game in terms of shot making, and I don't expect that to be the case in this one. The Mavs are playing at an other-worldly pace right now and I love where their game is at right now. Give me Dallas on the road. Mavs by 12
Betting trends
The under is 29-12 when the Mavs are coming off an under.
The Mavs are 24-11 ATS after winning four or five of their last six games.
The Nets are 6-25 ATS at home this season.
Projected starting lineup
Mavs:
PG: Luka Doncic
SG: Jalen Brunson
SF: Josh Green
PF: Dorian Finney-Smith
C: Dwight Powell
Nets:
PG: Goran Dragic
SG: Patty Mills
SF: Bruce Brown
PF: Kevin Durant
C: Andre Drummond
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
