The Warriors are on pace to make history this NBA season.
With 15 games left on their schedule, the Golden State Warriors know that history is within their grasp and they can’t afford to slip up against teams they should beat. The Warriors will face a tough challenge in their quest to finish with the best record in NBA history when they play the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night. The game will take place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, and will begin at 8:30 PM. ET.
The Dallas Mavericks have been slumping lately, losing six of their last seven games. Despite their slump, the Mavericks are one of the six teams that defeated the Warriors this season and have shown a knack for ending streaks with a win against the Charlotte Hornets, who had won seven straight games before losing at home to the Mavericks on Monday.
Do the Mavericks have what it takes to be the first team to defeat the Warriors twice this season? We will find out after the game is over.
The Warriors have played their last five games at home where they have won 50 consecutive games, and will be playing their first road game in over a week. While the Warriors are almost as good on the road as they are at home, they have been shaky on the road lately and lost their last road game to the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the worst teams in the NBA this season.
The Mavericks have a lot at stake in this game as they currently sit in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Mavericks are trying to fight off the Utah Jazz, who currently sit 1.5 games behind Dallas. A win can also move the team into a tie for sixth place with the Portland Trailblazers, who are one game ahead of the Mavericks.
Dirk Nowitzki has kept the Mavericks playoff hopes alive with his scoring, leading the team with 18.3 points per game. Nowitzki was supposed to be a supporting player this season but injuries forced him to assume a larger role in the offense.
Even with Nowitzki’s contributions, the Mavericks are a middle of the pack team offensively. The team averages 102.4 points per game, which is 15th in the league. Defensively, things aren’t much better because the Mavericks allow opponents to score 102.7 points per game.
For Golden State, the biggest question head coach Steve Kerr currently faces is if he should rest his players in preparation for the playoffs or go for the record. In the past, Kerr has said that he doesn’t care about the record and the team’s main goal is to win the championship again. Now that the team is so close to breaking the record, it will be interesting to see if he rests some starters for this game or lets them play.
Game Lines and Odds
BetOnline.ag has the Warriors are favored to win this game by 8.5 points. The over/under on total points scored is 224. Here’s a full review of BetOnline.
My Pick
I’m not a big fan of the point spread because I’m not sure if some players will be rested or not. If you want to bet on this game, the smart choice will be to take the over on points scored.
Play: Over 224 @ BetOnline.ag
Tagged With : Dallas Mavericks • Golden State Warriors