The Mavericks look to steal one on the road and boost their chances at the coveted NBA Cup.
The Mavericks travel to Denver tonight for their third Emirates NBA Cup game. Dallas will be without star Luka Doncic and Denver’s Nikola Jokic is questionable. Although we will not be getting the marquee names advertised, this is still a big game for both teams. Both are positioning themselves in the playoff race and both are trying to figure out what kind of team they’re going to be. Even with a dip in star power, this game should be entertaining and Dallas should have a fantastic shot to steal one on the road. Before we get into our picks tonight, here is a recap of last week and some information about tonight’s game:
Last week’s results
David: 1-3 (-$210)
Tyler: 1-3 (-$400)
Season to date:
- Tyler: -$99
- David: -$815
We are a putrid 4-19-1 (-$914) thus far. The players need to play better!
Game Details
Fixture: Dallas Mavericks at Denver Nuggets | NBA 2024-2025
Date and Time: Friday, November 22nd, 2024; 9:00 PM CST
Venue: Ball Arena, Denver, CO.
Odds up to date as of 12:00 PM CST from DraftKings
Game Lines
Spread Mavericks +3 (-115)
Total 224.5 (-110/-110)
Moneyline Mavericks +124
Tyler’s Plays
- Mavericks ML (+124)
- Kyrie Irving over 2.5 threes made (-130)
- Kyrie Irving to score 35+ points (+360)
- Nuggets under 114.5 points (-115)
For my first play, I am taking the Mavericks to win. I don’t need the points here, whether Jokic plays or not. Kyrie has an excellent matchup against Denver’s guards, and I’m enjoying the rotation now. The Mavs are in a good place, even without Doncic, and I expect them to come out with a hard-fought win. As for Kyrie Irving, without Luka, he gets up 7.4 threes per game in his time with Dallas. He’s going to get the attempts needed to make three. He is also capable of dominating Denver’s guards, even without Luka. I expect another big night from him to get Dallas over the finish line. For my last play, I’ll rock with Denver’s team total under 113.5. Dallas was holding OKC under this number until the last minute when everything nearly crashed. I think Denver is far less dynamic offensively than OKC, and Dallas can lean on the non-Jokic players enough to keep them under this total.
David’s Plays
- Over 225 points (-108)
- Mavericks -1.5 (+130)
- P.J. Washington under 1.5 threes made (-115)
- Klay Thompson to score 18+ points (+110)
Firstly, I am going to take the points today. The Mavericks were able to score 121 against Oklahoma City’s top-ranked defense, so this point total should be attainable if Denver does not completely flame out. I also think the Mavericks will win, so I am going to lay 1.5 and take the plus money. Washington has been abysmal from deep outside of the state of Oklahoma this year and I do not expect him to be able to make more than one tonight. If he does, that is great for him and the MAvericks, but if not, then I will profit off his incompetency. Without Luka Doncic, I expect the ball to move and for Thompson to get many open shots. This happened against the Thunder, but unfortunately, Thompson went 1-for-11. I do not expect a similar performance and hope he can make more than one shot tonight.