NBA Betting: Dallas Mavericks at Charlotte Bobcats
With the NHL on break until after the Sochi Winter Olympic games it’ll be a steady dose of basketball for the next three weeks. Actually, for this weekend at least it’ll be all college basketball as the NBA is going on All Star Break. Until then, however, we’ll look for some good opportunities to bet NBA action. In this matchup we’ve got a contest between a Dallas Mavericks team that has been playing very good basketball lately and an improving Charlotte Bobcats side.
The Mavericks have won five straight (4-1 ATS) and are currently on a 13-6 ATS run. The Bobcats have covered four of their last five games and recently welcomed Kemba Walker back to the lineup after an injury. Historically the Mavericks have dominated the head to head series with the Bobcats-Dallas is on a 17-1 SU/10-7 ATS run overall and a 7-1 SU/6-2 ATS run at Charlotte. The worm is turning for the Hornets, however, and they’ve covered two straight against Dallas. This is definitely a ‘short sample size’ but significant considering their historical troubles against the Mavericks. Charlotte lost 89-83 at Dallas in early December but covered the pointspread as a +8 road underdog. The previous meeting was in November 2012 with the Bobcats winning outright on their home floor.
Charlotte has been one of the biggest doormats in the NBA for quite some time but this is a different era. New head coach Steve Clifford has emphasized defense and his team has responded-the Bobcats are currently tied for the #4 spot in team scoring defense averaging 97.1 PPG against. Al Jefferson has been a runaway train for Charlotte and his strong inside play is a serious matchup problem for Dallas. Remember that Dirk Nowitski is their ‘big man’ but he plays away from the basket meaning that Jefferson could wreak serious havoc on both ends of the floor. Dallas is a well known quantity but the improvements in Charlotte are still somewhat ‘under the radar’ relative to the mainstream NBA fan. That gives us some good line value playing on the rapidly improving and defensively tenacious Bobcats. Look for a big game from Jefferson and Kemba Walker as the Bobcats win outright.
BET CHARLOTTE BOBCATS +3′ OVER DALLAS MAVERICKS