Cleveland Cavaliers vs Dallas Mavericks Prediction and Betting Preview
SportsMemo handicapper JM Sports gives his prediction on tonight’s Cleveland Cavaliers vs Dallas Mavericks showdown on Wednesday, March 30. At the time of posting, the road Mavericks have opened as a 2-point favorite over the home Cavaliers, with the total sitting at 213 points.
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Wednesday, March 30 | NBA Betting Notes |
---|---|
Point Spread: | Cleveland Cavaliers +2 vs Dallas Mavericks |
Total: | 213 Points |
Game Time: | 7:10pm ET / 4:10pm PT |
Arena: | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH |
TV: | Bally Sports Ohio |
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Dallas Mavericks Preview
Two teams square off in Cleveland tonight as they look to solidify their position in the post-season. The Dallas Mavericks (47-29) take on a Cleveland Cavaliers (42-33) team that has been riddled with injuries as the post-season approaches.
The hopes are that Jarrett Allen can return for a potential playoff endeavor, and Evan Mobley shouldn’t be out long-term following his ankle concerns, but Dean Wade has been added to the list with Collin Sexton of players sidelined for the remainder of the year.
Dallas is currently sitting at the 4th seed in the Western Conference, two games ahead of the Jazz, as they look to lock-up home court advantage, at least for the first round of playoff contests.
Cleveland, on the other hand, had the hopes of landing a top seed just a short time ago, now they are looking to stay in the play-offs, but their hopes aren’t dead, they are just one GB of Toronto & avoiding the play-in proceedings, as they hold the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference currently.
These two teams aren’t common foes as they are in separate sides of the conference brackets, but Dallas has held the edge, going 28-20 in their 48 meetings dating back to 1996, which includes four wins in the five contests in the past three seasons.
Cleveland did walk away with the win in the previous match-up this year, and they have kept the series even on their home court, splitting the 24 games in Cleveland since 1996.
Although, Dallas has walked away with the wins in the two games in Cleveland in the previous three seasons.
Mavericks Bad On Road After Winning
It looks as though Dallas may be without Trey Burke in tonight’s game, but the difference between them and Cleveland, the core of their team is still intact.
Dallas has continued their push as the end of the season nears, they have won five of their eight games in the last two weeks, but they are just 1-3 on the road in that span.
Their offense has stepped up, putting up 109.9 PPG in the eight games, but their defense has taken a small step the other direction, allowing a similar 109.5 PPG to the opposition.
On the season, Dallas’s offense has put up 106.9 PPG, but their defense has held opponents to just 104.2 points on average.
They have managed to keep a winning record on the road this season, despite their struggles over the last two weeks, posting a 20-17 record, behind an offense that is averaging 106.6 points.
Regardless of the fact that the last two games Dallas has played has been on their home court, their offense has shot over 51% in back-to-back games for just the 2nd time this season.
Which has helped propel them to a 4-1 record in the last five games. While it could be a sign that the offense is heating up, it did produce over 110 points in both games, and the Mavericks are just 1-7 this season after back-to-back games where they put up 110+ points.
Yet, the desire to avenge their loss earlier this season at home at the hands of Cleveland could also drive the team in tonight’s game, they are 8-2 thus far this season on the road revenging a same season loss, putting up over 110 PPG in those contests and winning by nearly five points on average, and tonight they will look to continue that run.
On the other side of things, Dallas is just 6-15 on the road in the last two years after two or more consecutive wins, losing by nearly five points on average in those opportunities.
Dallas also has struggled to reach the mark of three straight wins this year, especially when they look to achieve the feat away from their home fans.
Dallas is just 2-8 this year on the road after winning two consecutive games, and not only are they losing, they are losing by over eight points on average!
Cavs Must Rely on Stout Defense to Win
Dallas is fighting for home court advantage, but Cleveland is fighting to stay out of the dreaded win-or-go-home situation that is the new play-in games.
It should be noted that this is the best season, and best team, that hasn’t had a guy named LeBron James on the roster in Cleveland in a long time.
Yet Cleveland fans may be getting a little worried with all the “big” names that have stepped up seem to dropping to injury as fast as they rose to their Cleveland fame.
No Evan Mobley (at least for tonight), no Jarrett Allen for the foreseeable future, no Collin Sexton, no Dean Wade, and Rajon Rondo finding himself spending more time on the injury report then he has off the list since his arrival in the city.
None the less, Cleveland is still 42-33 on the year, including an impressive 24-14 record on their home court, even if they are just 3-4 in the last two weeks.
Cleveland knows that they can beat the best teams in this league, Dallas knows this as well, as they lost by 18 points on their home court to this Cavaliers team.
Cleveland is 7-4 in their last 11 games at home against teams over .500, winning by over five PPG, but they are just 3-7 in their last 10 games overall against teams with a winning record.
Their defense was the difference maker earlier in the season for this team, and while they have taken a small step back in the points allowed department, they are still 13-1 at home this year against teams that average 108 points or less, with the defense holding those opponents to just 95 points on average in the 14 games!
They may be just 5-9 straight up when playing as an underdog at home this year, but they have been able to string together their positive performances.
Cleveland is 25-13 on the year following a game where they allowed 105 points or less, 11-6 (including 4-2) at home after they hold opponents under 105 points in back-to-back games and they are 7-3 at home following a win where they forced 15+ turnovers.
Their last game may have been against an Orlando team that is out of the hunt, but a team like this can be streaky, and that could be the one that sets the trend as the play-offs approach.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Dallas Mavericks Prediction
The MVP odds look like a 3-man race, but Luka Doncic isn’t out of it and could look to add a MVP to his list of accolades, but his eyes are set on the playoffs and whatever happens, happens.
Cleveland looks to make it back to the playoffs for the first time in recent memory with just seven games left on the schedule.
Dallas seems to be the hotter team in this match-up, but history doesn’t also support the present. Road teams that are looking for revenge of a double-digit loss at home, that are coming off a double-digit home win are just 101-282 since 1996, losing 73.6% of the time!
Although, underdogs as a poor offensive team (104-108 PPG), that have allowed 105 points or less in back-to-back games, taking on a good defensive team (allowing 104-108 PPG) are just 38-122 since 1996, losing 76.2% of the time!
While history can be a good window to the future, injuries and recent production are what I am going to go with in tonight’s match-up.
Prediction: Dallas Mavericks Moneyline (-135)
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Cleveland Cavaliers vs Dallas Mavericks Notes from GoldSheet
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