The Washington Wizards (5-6, 2-3 Home) welcome the Dallas Mavericks (6-4, 1-3 Away) Thursday in a matchup of slow-paced teams. Dallas is playing on back-to-back days after being beaten by the Orlando Magic 94-87 at Amway Center yesterday. Spencer Dinwiddie led the way in the losing effort with 29 points. The Mavericks are the fifth seed in the Western Conference.
Washington got the win on Monday at Spectrum Center, beating the Charlotte Hornets 108-100. Kyle Kuzma led the team in scoring with 20 points. With 17 points, five assists, four rebounds, and two blocks, Jordan Goodwin also played a part.
The Wizards are ninth in the Eastern Conference. The teams are meeting for the first time this season. Washington won both games between the teams last season, the last of which was a 135-103 triumph at Capital One Arena on April 1. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led the Wizards with 35 points. Luka Doncic had 36 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in the losing effort.
The Mavs have been led this season by Doncic, who is averaging 34.8 points per game, best in the league. Doncic also is contributing 8.1 assists, seventh-most in the NBA, and 8.2 rebounds per game.Bradley Beal (21.6 ppg) and Kristaps Porzingis (19.2) have been the primary providers of the Wizards’ offense.
Porzingis also has collected 8.2 rebounds per game, most in the league, while Beal has distributed 5.7 assists per game. Half-court execution will be paramount in this matchup that showcases a pair of the NBA’s slowest-paced teams, as the Wizards and the Mavericks rank 28th and 27th, respectively, in possessions per game.
The Mavericks have found success in recent trips to Capital One Arena, winning seven of the last 10. Washington has dropped three straight at home this season. Meanwhile, the Mavericks won the only prior game when playing two days in a row this season, which also saw them playing against a rested opponent.
The Wizards are 0-1 with a rest advantage. Dallas is 6-4 in the last 10 games with an average margin of +4.3 (110.4-106.1). Washington has a 4-6 record over the last 10, allowing 111.5 points per game on average while scoring only 106.3 (-5.2 margin).
MAVERICKS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points per game:
Christian Wood: 11.3 | 15.6 | -4.3
Rebounds per game:
Luka Doncic: 5.6 | 8.2 | -2.6
WIZARDS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Assists per game:
Monte Morris: 3.6 | 4.8 | -1.2
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Dallas Mavericks -3.5 (-115)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
