The Dallas Mavericks take on the Detroit Pistons at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico on the NBA’s trip to Mexico City.
Mavs Lead Southwest Division
The Dallas Mavericks saw their five-game winning streak end at home against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night. The Mavs lost 106-110 to the Kings after Luka Doncic missed a game-tying attempt after a furious rally by Dallas. Despite the loss, the Mavericks have won 10 out of their last 12 games played to move one game ahead of the Houston Rockets in the Southwest Division.
Luka Doncic leads Dallas with 30.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Porzingis is scoring 16.4 points and grabbing 8.7 rebounds per game while Tim Hardaway Jr. is contributing 13.2 points per contest. J.J. Barea is scoring 8.7 points per game off the Dallas bench.
The Mavs rank third in the league in scoring at 118.0 points per game. They are ranked 4th in rebounding at 47.7 boards grabbed per contest and 15th in passing at 24.3 assists per game. Dallas is allowing its opponents to score an average of 108.3 points per game this season.
Pistons Win 4th in Five Games
The Detroit Pistons have won four out of their last five games played to move to 10-14 on the season, third in the Central Division. In their last game played last Monday night, the Pistons defeated the New Orleans Pelicans on a heroic buzzer-beating jumper from 2011 NBA MVP Derrick Rose.
Blake Griffin leads the team in scoring at 18.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Andre Drummond is averaging a double-double with 17.5 points and 16.7 rebounds per game while Rose is scoring 16.1 points while leading the Pistons in assists at 5.8 per contest.
Detroit is 20th in scoring at 108.6 points per game this season. They are ranked 24th in rebounding at 43.2 boards grabbed per contest and they are 10th in passing at 24.8 assists per game. The Pistons are giving up an average of 108.3 points per game this season, 19th most this season.
Who Wins?
Dallas is 5-1 SU in their last six games played. The Mavericks are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games played on the road, 6-3 SU in their last nine games against the Eastern Conference, and 5-1 SU in their last six games played against the Central Division. Detroit is 4-1 SU in their last five games played. The Pistons are 7-5 SU in a dozen home games played this season, 4-1 SU in their last five games against the Southwest Division, and 4-1 SU in their last five December games. Head to head, the Pistons are 6-3 SU in their last 9 games played against the Mavericks.
The Mavericks have been one of the big surprises of the season. Luka Doncic is having a fantastic sophomore season and he is getting plenty of support from his teammates. The Mavs are coming off a loss to the Sacramento Kings but had there been more time left in that game, they could have extended their five-game winning streak.
The Pistons have won four out of five and are fresh off a morale-boosting win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Derrick Rose has played big when he is healthy and so has Blake Griffin. With both stars playing now, the Pistons are finding a rhythm and are winning games here and there.
I like the Pistons to give the Mavericks a fight here. Detroit has a winning record at home and they have won four out of their last five games played. But Dallas has been playing better and they have been solid on the road this season at 8-2 SU. Doncic missed the game-tying shot against Sacramento, I expect him to bounce back here. I’m picking the Mavs to beat the Pistons.
Prediction: Dallas Mavericks
Other Bets to Make
Dallas is 5-1 ATS in their last six games played. The Mavericks are 11-2 ATS in their last 13 games played on the road. Detroit is 4-1 ATS in their last five games played. The Pistons are 7-5 ATS in their last 12 games played on the road, 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 games played against the Western Conference. Head to head, the Pistons are 5-4-1 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Mavericks.
Mavericks
-5.5 (-115)
Pistons
+5.5 (-105)
Odds from BetOnline as of 12/12/19
Dallas won by an average winning margin of 19 points per game in their five-game winning streak. The Mavericks had three double-digit wins during that stretch and the lowest winning margin was seven points. The Pistons have scored an average of 105.33 points per game in their last three games played. I think Dallas has the offensive firepower and defense to cover the spread.
Prediction: Mavericks -5.5
The total has gone under in four out of the last five games played by the Mavericks. The over is 7-3 in the last 10 games played by Dallas on the road. The total has gone over in four out of the last six games played by the Pistons. The over is 6-2 in the Pistons’ last eight games played at home. Head to head, the total has gone under in six out of the last nine games played by the Mavericks and Pistons. The over is 8-3 in the last 11 games between these two teams in Detroit.
Over
220.5 (-110)
Under
220.5 (-110)
Odds from BetOnline as of 12/12/19
Dallas scored at least 114 points per game during their recent five-game winning streak but they have the 13th best scoring defense in the league. The Pistons are a low scoring team and have gone below the 220 total in seven out of their last 10 games played. I like these teams to play good defense in a low-scoring contest.
Prediction: Under 220.5