The Cleveland Cavaliers just keep rolling. With the way they’ve been racking up the wins, the Cavs stand a great chance to avenge a blowout loss to Dallas earlier in the season. But it won’t come easy for LeBron James and co. as the Mavs finally broke out of their slump with a much-needed win on Sunday night.
Will the Mavs cool down the red-hot Cavaliers? Read on as we breakdown this intriguing inter-conference matchup.
Another inter-conference game is sure to showcase fireworks as the Toronto Raptors take on the resurgent San Antonio Spurs. Check out our complete preview for the Raptors vs. Spurs game here.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Dallas Mavericks Preview
Where: AmericanAirlines Center, Dallas
When: Tuesday, March 10, 8:30 PM ET
Line: Dallas Mavericks at Cleveland Cavaliers – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Cleveland Cavaliers
Add another shiny new record to King James’ already impressive collection.
[sc:NBA240banner ]King James tied the Cavs franchise’s career assists record (4,206) after dishing out eight dimes in Cleveland’s 89-79 win over Phoenix on Saturday. With James happy to assist his teammates, Timofey Mozgov led the Cavs with 19 points. Tristan Thompson had 15 points and 12 assists, while Kevin Love finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Having James on point should help the Cavs draw even with Dallas. Cleveland’s MVP candidate sat out the first matchup between the two teams at Cleveland, a 109-90 Mavericks win on January 4. James should provide the spark missing from that loss. Since returning from injury, he is scoring 27 points per game.
Love should also be prominent in this game after finishing with 30 points and 10 rebounds in the first matchup. Point guard Kyrie Irving was plagued by lower back tightness and was held to 2-of-9 from the field before exiting the game against Dallas. The All-Star point guard should be in top form this time around. He’s averaging 18 points in his last four.
Having plenty of capable scorers across the floor should help Cleveland space out Dallas’ defense. The Mavericks rank in the bottom third of the league in points allowed per home game (100.5) this season.
The Cavs have won 15 of their last 20, going 12-8 against the spread over that span.
Betting on the Dallas Mavericks
Monta Ellis is the go-to guy Dallas needs to close out games. But he hasn’t been playing up to par lately after averaging 12.5 points on 28 percent shootiing in his last four games. Thankfully, he looks to have put his recent rough stretch in the rearview mirror as he exploded for 31 points to help beat the Los Angeles Lakers 100-93 on Sunday night.
Ellis made 12-of-22 shots, including 5-of-7 from downtown, to lead all Dallas starters. He scored 18 of his 31 points in the third quarter to spark the Mavericks’ come-from-behind win. The insertion of Chandler Parsons back into the lineup also helped. Parsons went 5-for-11 form the field, but struggled with his three-point shooting (1-of-5). The two combined for 34 points in their January 4 victory over Cleveland.
The three-point attack will be Dallas’ bread-and-butter for this game. The Mavericks buried 12-of-26 threes in their blowout win against Cleveland. The Cavs have allowed 8.3 three-pointers made per game in their last three contests. Ellis should lead the Mavs in this regard if he keeps his hot hand.
Dirk Nowitzki could also lend his sharpshooting from three. He’s made 7-of-15 from three-point range in his last three games at AmericanAirlines Center. Parsons could also threaten from long range considering he’s back to full strength. He shot 38 percent from downtown over eight games in February before missing seven straight due to a left ankle sprain.
Dallas has won eight of its last nine against Cleveland, going 7-2 ATS in those games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Cavaliers win in a blowout.
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