Geoff JohnsonThe four point favorites Dallas Mavericks take on the Los Angeles Clippers, in the best game on Monday, at American Airlines Center at 8:30 PM ET.
Dallas won’t have it easy as the Clippers seem to be on right zone having won the last five games in a row, including a 105-96 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday where they covered 5.5 spread; plus, the 201 combined points had the game OVER the total.
“It’s big because it could mean the difference between the fourth and fifth seed,” said Blake Griffin, who had 24 points in the Clippers’ win over the Jazz.
However, having won five straight is not a great thing, at least not for Chris Paul. “It ain’t a huge milestone,” Paul said. “You’ve got to strive for more than that. Every win now is crucial. We got to expect to win. The mindset is changing, and that’s a good thing.”
The problem with the Clippers is that they are not the best team away from the Staples Center, and they know it. LAC are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games on the road, and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games when playing Dallas, according to the betting trends.
After getting blown out by the Miami Heat on Thursday, the Mavericks beat Orlando by two points on Friday. They covered the 5-point spread as underdogs.
“Watching Orlando all year long, we know that they’re a team that has relinquished a lot of leads … just the way they play,” Jason Terry said. “They’re either going inside, or they’re shooting 3s. You live by the 3 or you die by it.”
Despite the Clips are not a great team away from home, I don’t like the Mavs for this matchup. Dallas hasn’t found a rhythm, and they have struggled against good teams.
