Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz

Betting Odds

Dallas (50-21, 36-33-2 ATS) seems to be gaining some momentum after a bit of a downturn. The Mavericks are 3-1 in their past four games, including back-to-back victories. They failed to cover in Thursday’s 104-96 win over Minnesota, though, and are just 3-8 in their past 11 games against the spread.

Dirk Nowitzki was his usual spectacular self against Minnesota. The big German raced up 30 points and 11 rebounds, continuing his recent hot streak. Nowtizki is averaging 26.6 points and 10.0 rebounds in his last six games, including four double-doubles.

But while Nowtizki is expected to contribute, the club is also getting a big boost from its role players. Peja Stojakovic recently returned after missing six games and has been absolutely on fire. The streak shooter has scored 17 and 16 points over his last two games thanks to a red-hot effort from the three-point line; Stojakovic has gone 9-for-16 from behind the arc in his two games since coming back from a stiff neck.

With both the starters and bench getting it done, the Dallas offense is awakening from its slumber; the Mavs have scored 100-plus points in each of their past three wins, averaging 105.6 points in those games.

Utah (36-37, 31-40-2 ATS) has completely melted down at the worst possible time, crushing the team’s playoff hopes. The Jazz are 0-4 in their past four games and have won just twice in the past eight. At least they’ve been respectable against the spread, going 4-1-1 in their last six games on NBA odds. They’re coming off a 121-117 loss to New Orleans on Thursday.

It’s hard to believe the effort is there anymore, especially on defense. Utah has allowed 100-plus points in eight consecutive games, giving up 111.3 per game in that stretch. With “D” like that, there’s no hope in ending the slump anytime soon, especially with Dallas on tap. Fatigue is certainly a factor, as the Hornets game was Utah’s fourth in five nights.

The only player unquestionably giving his best effort right now is Paul Millsap. The forward scored 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against New Orleans, giving him 25.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game over his last four games—well above his season averages of 17.4 and 7.9.

Dallas is 6-4 in its last 10 games against Utah, including 6-4 against the spread. Dallas has won and covered all three meetings this season. The total has gone over in back-to-back games; BetEd has made the total for Saturday’s game 202.5 points.

Point Spread Pick

The Jazz did come up with a spirited effort in a loss Thursday night, but this is a banged up squad. Kirilenko and Harris are not expected to play tonight and the depth issue will hurt Utah's chances to compete in this game.
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