The Brooklyn Nets and the Dallas Mavericks meet for the second time this season, with the latter winning the first showdown. Will the Nets even things up? Or will the Mavs go 2-0 this season versus the Nets? Check out our preview of this game below.
The Nets will continue their road trip this Thursday when they pay the Mavs a visit. Brooklyn, which has a date with the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday before traveling to Dallas, will likely have both Kyrie Iring and Kevin Durant ready to see action against Luka Doncic and company since the Nets will have a full day of rest before the match. James Harden, meanwhile, is not expected to play still, as he continues to deal with his injury. Harden had 29 points in Brooklyn’s 115-98 home loss to the Mavericks in February, but he didn’t have the help of Irving and Durant. This time, the Nets will have at least two superstars on the floor to take on the Mavericks, who have not been defending well of late.
The Nets have covered the spread in six of their last six games in Dallas, dating back to 2012.
The biggest item for the Mavs with regards to this date with Brooklyn is the availability of Kristaps Porzingis. The Latvian is dealing with right knee soreness and could be out anew this Thursday. However, if he plays on Tuesday against the Miami Heat, that would be an optimistic sign for his chances to suit up against Brooklyn. In any case, Dallas will have a big load waiting for Luka Doncic to carry. Doncic will enter Tuesday’s matchup against the Heat having averaged 29.0 points on 48.7 percent shooting from the field, 8.3 rebounds, and 10.6 assists over his last 10 games. In the win over Brooklyn, he had 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists in 34 minutes.
The Mavericks are 2-2 against the spread in their last four home games and 3-1 ATS in their last four contests against the Nets, dating back to 2018.
