After a truly defeating 125-92 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night, the Dallas Mavericks are set to take on the Washington Wizards tonight in the second game of their five-game homestand.
Dallas looked awfully poor on both ends of the floor in their first game of the season, but it was the offense that was especially bad. As per Cleaning the Glass, the Mavericks 94.4 non-garbage time offensive rating was the worst in the league by ELEVEN points (the Hawks are 29th at 105.8). Part of that was the shot quality the Mavs had, which can all be traced back to not having a point guard in some regards.
The Wizards, meanwhile, kept within striking distance of the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday before falling 133-120. The Washington defense was, predictably, terrible against Giannis and the Bucks, but they scored the ball at a league average rate on a per possession basis. Khris Middleton led the way with 23 points, and the Wizards got nice contributions from Kyshawn George (21, 9 and 4 on the night), Cam Whitmore (14 points off the bench) and rookie Tre Johnson (16 points off the bench).
Will Dallas get a nice bounce back win tonight, or will this thing get very uncomfortable, very early? Let’s dive in.
Game intangibles
Washington Wizards (0-1) vs Dallas Mavericks (0-1)
Tipoff: 7:30p CT at the American Airlines Center in Dallas
How to watch: The game will be televised locally on KFAA Channel 29, or streaming on Mavs TV for anyone in the Mavericks media market. For those outside of the viewing area, NBA League Pass will have you covered.
Odds via the Fanduel Sportsbook as of 10:30a
Spread: Dallas -10.5 (-108)
Over/Under: 227.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Washington (+420)
Player props
Anthony Davis to score 30+ points (+162)
If there’s one thing we know about Anthony Davis, it’s that he tends to show up against the lesser teams of the NBA. Although the Wizards could be better this year, there is no doubt that they are not one of the league’s elite. I expect Davis to have a good night.
Game sides
Over 227.5 points (-110)
Wizards +10.5 (-108)
I expect a higher scoring game tonight. The Mavericks offense can’t possibly look as bad as it did against the Spurs, and the Wizards are willing to play a track meet. Beyond that, I’ll take the Wizards to keep this somewhat close, as I think their offense will do enough against the Mavericks from outside to keep them attached.
