Mavericks Limping Into Crucial Game With Philadelphia: Odds And Preview Of The NBA's Doubleheader On Mar. 2nd

Mike Calabrese breaks down his best NBA picks for Thursday night's doubleheader on TNT. 

All wagers can be placed with licensed Sportsbooks in the US.

Philadelphia 76ers @ Dallas Mavericks-4.5 (228.5)

7:30p ET on TNT

While Philly is firmly entrenched as the third best team in the East behind Boston and Milwaukee, while Dallas is in a far more fluid situation. The Mavericks enter Thursday night’s game with the Sixers sitting in seventh in the West, a seed which would force them in the NBA’s play-in tournament. As the seventh seed, the Mavs are just a half game out of fifth place and one and a half games out of being knocked out of the playoffs altogether. That’s how tight the logjam of teams is currently between fifth and eleventh in the Western Conference this season.

On the floor, Dallas has hit a bit of a skid losing six of its last ten outright. The addition of all-world guard Kyrie Irving hasn’t proven to be the missing piece for the Mavs. After winning their first two games with him in the lineup, Dallas has dropped five of six. Philly was far less active in the trade market, simply adding Mac McClung, the NBA’s 2023 Slam Dunk champion. He’s already down in the G-League playing for the Delaware Blue Coats. 

Philly has been playing great team basketball as of late, winning five of their last seven. Their two losses came by a single possession to Boston and Miami. Three different players (Harden, Embiid, Maxey) have led the Sixers in scoring in their last three games and they are now top seven in both offensive and defensive efficiency. The only other team in the league that joins the Sixers in the top seven in both categories is the Boston Celtics. 

Betting Angle:

Dallas is the second-worst home team in the NBA against the spread, cashing just ten tickets in 32 games this season. The Sixers, meanwhile, have been serviceable on the road (14-13 ATS) and possess one of the league’s best ATS records in back-to-backs (5-2-1). I’ll go ahead and take the points and bank on a good night from their backcourt of Harden and Maxey. 

Los Angeles Clippers-3.5 @ Golden State Warriors (231.5)

10:00p ET on TNT

The Clippers have been a mainstay on national television as of late, and they’ve also been working their way through a losing streak. The Clippers have dropped five of seven, and wasted some monstrous games from Kawhi Leonard. Playing two overtime games in a three game stretch has also depleted their reserves, evidenced by their loss to Minnesota at home as a 6.5-point favorite. Their recent slide has pushed them into a tie for fifth place with Golden State. Any further regression and they’ll be in danger of having to participate in the play-in tournament next month. 

Golden State is on the upswing. Winners of three straight, the Dubs have found a way to dominate teams without Steph Curry in the lineup. Klay Thompson has poured in 97 points in the last three games and Jordan Poole is coming off of his fourth 28+ point performance in his last eight games. Curry is set to return to the lineup by the end of this week or the beginning of next. Either way, the Warriors have treaded water without him and now seem primed to make another deep playoff run if they all get healthy at the same time. 

The Clippers shredded Golden State in their last meeting, dropping 134 points on them in a blowout win. They canned 17 three pointers and they got an efficient 53-point contribution from George & Leonard. They’ll need their stars to shine again if they want to throw the breaks on their recent skid. If helps that Leonard is a major matchup problem for the Warriors' defense, but longterm they’ll need to more from their role players if they want to win playoff series against the elite in the West. Russell Westbrook has been a welcomed addition through three games, dishing out 28 assists in three games since swapping Lakers’ purple for Clippers’ red. 

Betting Angle:

The Clippers may well get it together, but I’m not willing to bank on them doing it on the Warriors’ home floor. The Dubs are 20-11-1 ATS at home this season, which is the third most profitable figure in the league. I’ll take the three and the hook.