The Dallas Mavericks are back in action, facing off with the Utah Jazz for the second time in this young season. The Mavericks (5-6) are on a three-game losing streak, with the three losses coming by a combined total of 6 points. Utah (2-8) started the season 0-6 but have won two of their last four. Let’s dive into the best (and only) game on the Thursday night NBA slate.
Game intangibles
Dallas Mavericks (5-6) at Utah Jazz (2-8)
Tipoff: 8:00p CT at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City
How to watch: The game will be nationally televised on NBA TV, but locally you’ll need KFAA Channel 29 or a MavsTV subscription.
Spread: Dallas -8.5 (-110)
Over/Under: 230 (-110)
Moneyline: Utah (+295)
Notably, the Mavericks hosted the Jazz just a few weeks ago. They closed as 11.5-point favorites but only won by the score of 110-102. Homecourt is typically worth two or three points, so with the venue change I expected Dallas to be roughly 6.5-point favorites. With the spread only moving a couple of points towards Utah, that means that either Utah is power rated lower than they were the last time these teams met, or Dallas is power rated higher. Some interesting nuance for this game.
Player props
Dereck Lively over 17.5 points + rebounds (-135)
John Collins 20+ points (+160)
Dereck Lively finds himself in a good spot here, as the Jazz will be without Walker Kessler in this game. He’s gone over this mark in 4 of 7 this year, but I like him particularly in this spot. I also like a sprinkle on him to record a double-double at (+310). As for John Collins, I have set calendar reminders to bet his props whenever he plays against Dallas. For his career, Collins averages 15.8 points & 8 rebounds per game. Against Dallas? Just a smooth 21 points & 10 rebounds per game. He is a member of the “versus Mavs all-stars” team, and I expect him to go off tonight, too.
Play of the day: Dallas -8.5 (-110)
This follows one of my favorite trends from last year: the Mavericks were 20-5 (80%) against the spread as a road favorite last season. They haven’t had many chances to prove the trend this year, as they’ve only been road favorites once this year. Tonight against a depleted Utah team, I expect Dallas to lay a hammer down to end this losing streak.
