The Dallas Mavericks make their primetime debut Wednesday evening against the suddenly beaten and battered Oklahoma City Thunder squad. Dallas (2-2) won a thriller against the Miami Heat on Monday evening, as Cooper Flagg (29 points, six boards, 11 assists and eight stocks) and two-way guard Walter Clayton Jr. (15 points, four rebounds and four assists in just 17 minutes off the bench) led the way in a four-point victory.
For Oklahoma City (4-0), things have been held together by smoke, mirrors, Shai
Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell. The duo, who are playing without Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace and Jalen Williams, combined for 56 points in Monday’s 125-114 win over the Phoenix Suns. The Thunder played nine guys at least 20 minutes in that contest, and it’s clear that for the foreseeable future, this thing is going to be a group effort to support the two guards.
Before we dive into the handicap, lets recap last week’s results.
Last week
Houston 128, Dallas 110
Tyler: 3-1 (+$165)
David: 3-1 (+$181)
Overall: 6-2 (+$346)
On $100 flat wagers, we are sitting in the black after one week. Let’s ride the high!
Game intangibles
Oklahoma City Thunder (4-0) at Dallas Mavericks (2-2)
Tipoff: It’s a late one, as tipoff is scheduled for just after 8:40 p.m. from the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
How to watch: Dallas makes their season debut on National TV, as Dave Pasch, Jeremy Lin and Jorge Sedano will have ESPN’s coverage of the game.
Game lines as of 12:30 p.m. CT
Spread: Oklahoma City -6.5 (-105)
Total: Over/Under 228.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Dallas is +188 to pull off the home upset
David’s plays
- Cooper Flagg to score 25+ points (-104)
- Mavericks ML (+188)
- Ajay Mitchell to score 20+ points (+114)
- Mavericks first quarter spread +1.5 (-113)
I think the Mavericks follow up Monday’s big win with a statement win tonight on ESPN. The Thunder have absolutely nobody that can guard Cooper Flagg or defend the rim at the level you need to to prevent him from getting to his spots. On the other side, Ajay Mitchell has now been thrust into a bigger role and I think he provides a lot of problems for the Mavericks perimeter defenders. Despite that, Dallas will ride a good first quarter to a huge win.
Tyler’s plays
- Under 228.5 points (-110)
- Dallas +6.5 (-115)
- Cooper Flagg 8+ rebounds (+124)
- Isaiah Hartenstein under 9.5 rebounds (+112)
I do like the under here quite a bit. Dallas has been held to 110 points or less twice already this season, while OKC has also been held under 110 twice. That includes a 96-point effort against Denver, who isn’t exactly sparkling on the defensive end. And in these low scoring affairs, I typically lean to the dog, especially at home. The rebound props feel correlated to me. Flagg has had many chanced to grab rebounds, but has failed to capitalize at times. In this matchup, OKC will not be positionally as big as the teams Dallas has faced to date, so I like his over. Hartenstein, meanwhile, is going to see a lot of attention, given OKC’s injuries. I like his under and I think Flagg will pick up the loose change.
