Both the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Clippers are currently on a 5-game winning streak, but the streak of one of these teams will end after this game. The Dallas Mavericks have beaten the Houston Rockets (137-123), Toronto Raptors (110-102) and San Antonio Spurs (117-110) in their last 5 games, while the Clippers have come from behind to win games against the Houston Rockets (122-119), Boston Celtics (107-104) and Oklahoma City Thunder (90-88).
Los Angeles Clippers
The long-awaited duo of Kawhi Leopold and Paul George is finally gaining momentum and showing the potential to become the best duo in the NBA. Unable to play together at the start of the season for one reason or another, the two forwards are now enjoying playing together and simply dominating on both ends of the floor, scoring 134 points and conceding just 109 in their last game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Overall, the potential of this team is incredible, with two superstars playing well on both ends of the floor for a team that made the playoffs in the strong Western Conference. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will definitely be the team's first options on offense, but the team also has more solid weapons: Lou Williams is showing great form at this stage of the season and will definitely be a contender for the title of best sixth man again, Montrezl Harrell is also having a great season, and Patrick Beverley is showing the kind of defensive prowess that makes him the league's most valued player.
Only a few teams have been able to win the boards against the Mavericks, but the Clippers are 4th in the league in rebounding, so the Mavericks won't have their usual advantage here. The battle of Kawhi Leonard and Montrezl Harrell under the basket against Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis is going to be really interesting and will determine a lot of the success of either team.
The Mavericks have been playing great offense and fast-paced basketball in their last games, so the Clippers will not only have to play good offense themselves, but also play ideal defense to stop the Mavericks' momentum.
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Dallas Mavericks
For many who are still amazed by the Mavericks' progress this season, and for those who are more interested in Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, the team's progress is not a question mark. The MVP of the world's second strongest basketball league has already shown great statistics in his first season and is a Top 3 candidate for the NBA regular season MVP title this season.
The Clippers, Lakers and Rockets have long been named the strongest teams in the Western Conference in the pre-season, but the Mavericks, at least at the start of the season, are showing that they should not be out of context. Especially considering that the team's second most important player, the nominal All-star Kristaps Porzingis, is still playing limited minutes and is not 100% recovered from the injury that kept him out of the lineup all last season.
The Mavericks are unlikely to give up their fast-paced game, based on Doncic's individual skill in creating chances for others or shooting himself, in this game, but unlike in previous games, the Mavericks' field goal percentage is likely to be lower than usual, as the Clippers have some of the league's most solid defensive players at every position. Moreover, the Mavericks don't have a good defence and while they score a lot of points, they also concede a lot of turnovers, so when the offence stalls, the defence will hardly save the day.
Forecast
The Dallas Mavericks have now won four consecutive meetings on their home court, and in their last two games have put 142 and 143 points in the Warriors' and Cavaliers' bags, respectively. Luka Doncic is playing at MVP level, Porzingis is complementing him well, and the backups are also contributing. It would take an impressive performance from another team to beat the Mavericks on the road, but if anyone can do it, the Clippers are definitely one of them.
No one will dwell on how impressive Luka Doncic has looked this season, but in this game he will have to play against 2 of the best on-ball defenders and a well-coordinated team defence. The Clippers have a much longer bench, from which last year's best 6th man Lou Williams can score a lot of points at any time and decide the outcome of the game.
It would be hard to believe that Luka alone could decide this game, as the Clippers are neither the Warriors nor the Cavaliers, so for the Mavericks to win, Doncic and the rest of the team would have to play an ideal game. Will that happen? - Probably not.
The Clippers are currently getting odds of 1.9 to win, so that's what we suggest you use.
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