The San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors are looking like the teams to beat in the West, with both teams rounding into playoff form. Both Western Conference contenders will look to add to their respective winning streaks against the Dallas Mavs and the Portland Trail Blazers, two teams with some problems to solve before the postseason begins.
It’s another stacked night of great hoops. Read on below for more on Tuesday’s best basketball offerings.
Thursday also figures to be a great night of hoops as the Sweet 16 begins. Check out our previews of the pick of those matchups, Wisconsin vs. North Carolina and Notre Dame vs. Wichita State.
[sc:NBAArticles ]San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks (8:00 PM ET)
Line: San Antonio Spurs (-2.5) at Dallas Mavericks (+2.5); total 205.5 – view all NBA lines
[sc:NBA240banner ]Since their shock loss to the New York Knicks, the San Antonio Spurs have won their next three three games in a row by an average of 14 points and have gone 3-0 against the spread. Their latest win was their most impressive, as they went into Atlanta and thumped the East-leading Hawks by 19. Kawhi Leonard continued his amazing month with 20 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
The Spurs now head into neighboring Dallas to face a Mavs team that has lost two in a row to the Grizzlies and Suns. Head coach Rick Carlisle was far from happy with the loss at Phoenix, and called out his team’s overall effort. Leading scorer Monta Ellis has scored just 23 total points in the last two games and has shot 7-of-31 (22.5 percent) from the field. Dallas, though, is 3-1 (SU and ATS) in its last four home games vs. San Antonio.
Writer’s Prediction
The Spurs continue their winning streak as they win by double-digits in Big D.
Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trail Blazers (10:30 PM ET)
Line: Golden State Warriors at Portland Trail Blazers – view all NBA lines
The Golden State Warriors just finished up a very successful six-game home stand. The Warriors went a perfect 6-0, and went 5-1 against the spread. With Klay Thompson returning from a three-game layoff due to an ankle sprain, the Warriors routed the Washington Wizards, 107-76 on Monday.
They’ll face a banged up Blazers team headed in the exact opposite direction. Portland lost its fourth straight game of a five-game road trip on Saturday against Memphis. The Blazers could find themselves without as many as three key rotation players in LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, and Chris Kaman to injury, in addition to Wes Matthews, who’s out for the year, as they defend their 28-6 record at home (third-best in the NBA).
Writer’s Prediction
The Warriors hand the Blazers a rare home loss by a large margin. Golden State wins by at least 12 points. Create a betting account now to enjoy all the best daily hoops action the NBA has to offer.
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