by Chuck Sommers
Monday, Mar 27, 2023
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Where to watch: BSIN, BSSW-DAL
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Mavs -1
BetMGM: Mavs -1
Caesars: Mavs -1
Season record
Mavs: 36-39
Pacers: 33-42
The All-Star break is over in the NBA and it's time to get on the horse and finish up the final home stretch of the season. Big trades, uncertainty, and absolute hilarity across the board all gearing up for the final home stretch of this season. You know who is also gearing up for the home stretch? Our champion handicappers at bigal.com who are ready to win their way all the way to the playoffs. There's a lot going on that we can't wait for in these final 23-25 games and you're going to need every bit of hardcore analysis you can get from this group. Just in the last 30 days we've had some big winners. Doc's Sports has posted a 16-6-0 record in the last month (+$9,200). AAA Sports has killed it at 17-8-0, and then Al McMordie with a dominant 20-11-1 mark over the last 30 days. Everything you need to know and more about what's going on this league and sports in general will be a fun finish to the end. All you have to do is go to bigal.com and find our Best Bets page and put forth something that only you think is good. Here's a hint: Go to the bigal.com website and happy betting.
Mavs - Pacers preview, prediction and analysis
Time is running out for the Dallas Mavericks, whose once-promising season has taken an unexpected turn south in recent weeks.
Dallas (36-39) has lost four straight and seven of its last nine heading into Monday's critical matchup against the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis.
Dallas sits in 11th place in the Western Conference, one loss behind the Oklahoma City Thunder in the race for the final spot in the play-in tournament. The Thunder were scheduled to play later Sunday night.
The Mavericks could also be without Luka Doncic after the four-time All-Star picked up his 16th technical foul of the season in Sunday's 110-104 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Unless the technical is rescinded by the league office, Doncic will be suspended for one game and have to sit out Monday's contest.
Doncic scored 40 points on Sunday as the Mavericks lost to Charlotte for the second time in three days. Dallas fell to 7-13 since Kyrie Irving was acquired in a trade from the Brooklyn Nets.
"It's unfortunate that we let these two games go and we have to figure out a way to stop the bleeding," Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said.
Kidd is also working closely with Doncic to rediscover his star's love of the game. Doncic spoke about his frustration level after Friday's loss to the Hornets.
"I think you can see it with me on the court," Doncic said. "Sometimes I don't feel it's me. I'm just being out there. I used to have really fun, smiling on court, but it's just been so frustrating for a lot of reasons, not just basketball."
After beginning its five-game road trip with another disappointing loss, the Mavericks will look to regroup against Indiana (33-42), which has lost five of its last seven.
Dallas dropped its first meeting against Indiana 124-122 on Feb. 28. Doncic scored a game-high 39 points in the loss, while Tyrese Haliburton had 32 points to lead Indiana.
The Pacers concluded a four-game trip on Saturday with a 143-130 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Indiana dropped three of the four games and is 3 1/2 games behind the Chicago Bulls for 10th place and the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference.
One bright spot in Saturday's loss was the play of third-year pro Jordan Nwora, who was acquired from the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 9. Nwora scored 25 points in the second quarter against Atlanta and finished with a season-high 33 points.
"He has the ability to get going," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "We saw it when he was with Milwaukee against us. The thing I loved is he did it in the most efficient way. He's got the touch and he's got the range. He's a good player."
With Indiana's hopes for a spot in the play-in tournament fading, Carlisle has started looking more toward the future. The Pacers' focus over the past week has been on the development of young players such as Bennedict Mathurin and Nwora.
Nwora, a 6-foot-9 forward, finished 12-of-17 shooting against Atlanta, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range.
"The kid can flat-out score," Pacers guard T.J. McConnell said. "I gotta keep feeding him and continue the hot hand. Since he's gotten here, he's been unbelievable. He's a great kid, great teammate and a special scorer."
Indiana center Myles Turner could be available Monday after sitting out one game with lower back soreness. Turner is averaging 18 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 54.8 percent from the field.
Prediction
I said last game it was the last chance. I meant it. Pacers 120, Mavs 105
Dallas (36-39) has lost four straight and seven of its last nine heading into Monday's critical matchup against the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis.
Dallas sits in 11th place in the Western Conference, one loss behind the Oklahoma City Thunder in the race for the final spot in the play-in tournament. The Thunder were scheduled to play later Sunday night.
The Mavericks could also be without Luka Doncic after the four-time All-Star picked up his 16th technical foul of the season in Sunday's 110-104 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Unless the technical is rescinded by the league office, Doncic will be suspended for one game and have to sit out Monday's contest.
Doncic scored 40 points on Sunday as the Mavericks lost to Charlotte for the second time in three days. Dallas fell to 7-13 since Kyrie Irving was acquired in a trade from the Brooklyn Nets.
"It's unfortunate that we let these two games go and we have to figure out a way to stop the bleeding," Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said.
Kidd is also working closely with Doncic to rediscover his star's love of the game. Doncic spoke about his frustration level after Friday's loss to the Hornets.
"I think you can see it with me on the court," Doncic said. "Sometimes I don't feel it's me. I'm just being out there. I used to have really fun, smiling on court, but it's just been so frustrating for a lot of reasons, not just basketball."
After beginning its five-game road trip with another disappointing loss, the Mavericks will look to regroup against Indiana (33-42), which has lost five of its last seven.
Dallas dropped its first meeting against Indiana 124-122 on Feb. 28. Doncic scored a game-high 39 points in the loss, while Tyrese Haliburton had 32 points to lead Indiana.
The Pacers concluded a four-game trip on Saturday with a 143-130 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Indiana dropped three of the four games and is 3 1/2 games behind the Chicago Bulls for 10th place and the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference.
One bright spot in Saturday's loss was the play of third-year pro Jordan Nwora, who was acquired from the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 9. Nwora scored 25 points in the second quarter against Atlanta and finished with a season-high 33 points.
"He has the ability to get going," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "We saw it when he was with Milwaukee against us. The thing I loved is he did it in the most efficient way. He's got the touch and he's got the range. He's a good player."
With Indiana's hopes for a spot in the play-in tournament fading, Carlisle has started looking more toward the future. The Pacers' focus over the past week has been on the development of young players such as Bennedict Mathurin and Nwora.
Nwora, a 6-foot-9 forward, finished 12-of-17 shooting against Atlanta, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range.
"The kid can flat-out score," Pacers guard T.J. McConnell said. "I gotta keep feeding him and continue the hot hand. Since he's gotten here, he's been unbelievable. He's a great kid, great teammate and a special scorer."
Indiana center Myles Turner could be available Monday after sitting out one game with lower back soreness. Turner is averaging 18 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 54.8 percent from the field.
Prediction
I said last game it was the last chance. I meant it. Pacers 120, Mavs 105
Projected starting lineup
Mavs:
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Tim Hardaway Jr.
SF: Reggie Bullock
PF: Maxi Kleber
C: Dwight Powell
Pacers:
PG: Tyrese Haliburton
SG: Andrew Nembhard
SF: Buddy Hield
PF: Aaron Nesmith
C: Myles Turner
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this preview, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NBA/college basketball projections and previews.
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.
