There’s just no stopping the Golden State Warriors right now after they notched their 14th consecutive victory Wednesday with a comfortable 12-point win over the Houston Rockets. They will look to extend their winning streak to 15 games when they face the Dallas Mavericks this coming Saturday in a showdown between two of the league’s most potent offensive teams.
Read on below for a preview of this showdown and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the game between the Houston Rockets and the Denver Nuggets here.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Golden State Warriors vs. Dallas Mavericks Betting Preview
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas
When: Saturday, December 13, 2014, 2:00 PM ET
Line: Golden State Warriors at Dallas Mavericks – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Golden State Warriors
The records just keep tumbling for head coach Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors after they beat the Houston Rockets 115-103 Wednesday night. The Warriors have now won 14 straight games, the longest winning streak in the club’s history and that has helped Steve Kerr become the first rookie coach to win 19 of his first 21 games in the NBA.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Key to their great start this season has been their efficiency on the offensive end. Since Day One, Kerr has preached ball movement to his side and that has worked tremendously in the Warriors’ favor this year. They’re second in the league in assists this season, averaging 25.7 dimes per game.
Even though Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are still the Warriors’ main options, Kerr’s scheme enables other guys to contribute on the offensive end as well. In their game against the Rockets, it was Harrison Barnes who stepped up, exploding for 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field.
This balanced offensive attack is the main reason why the Warriors are fourth in the NBA in scoring, averaging 106.8 points per game. Of course, it also helps that they have the prolific Splash Brothers at their disposal.
Curry and Thompson are 7th and 13th in the league in scoring, averaging 26.0 and 18.7 points per game respectively this season. They shook off slow starts in their game against the Rockets, combining for 41 points to lead the Warriors to the 12-point win.
In order for them to extend their winning streak to 15 games against the Mavericks, the Warriors need to continue pushing the pace. During their current run, the Warriors are outscoring their opponents by an average of 7.9 fast break points per game.
They will be licking their chops at the prospect of facing a Dallas defense that is allowing 16.2 fast break points per game, the worst-mark in the NBA this season.
The Warriors are 5-0 in their last five games on the road.
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Betting on the Dallas Mavericks
There’s a new closer in town and his name is Monta Ellis.
Monta Ellis showed that he is the Mavs’ new go-to-guy, pouring in 13 of his 26 points in the final 4:27 to lead Dallas to a thrilling 112-107 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday night. It was a great bounce-back game for Ellis who had a miserable two-point performance the night before in a 114-105 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
It wasn’t only Ellis, though, who impressed against the Pelicans. In fact, what made the victory possible for the Mavericks was their balanced offensive production. Dirk Nowitzki, Chandler Parsons and Devin Harris also joined in the scoring parade for the Mavs, netting in 20 points apiece.
That’s just the fourth time this season that a team has had a quartet of players score 20 points in the same game. Interestingly enough, the Mavericks pulled off the same feat against the Chicago Bulls 10 days ago.
With that being said, it isn’t a complete surprise that the Mavericks are the league-leaders in scoring right now. They’re averaging 110.5 points this season, two points higher than the output of the next team in that department.
If they are to snap the 14-game winning streak of the Warriors, they will need to improve on their woeful rebounding. In the game against the Pelicans, they were outrebounded 45-29. For the season, they’re averaging just 41.5 boards per game, 10th-worst in the NBA.
The onus is on Tyson Chandler (11.5 RPG) to hold his own against a Warriors’ side that is third in the league in rebounds, averaging 45.7 boards per game. Controlling the glass is crucial, especially against a Warriors side that is keen to push the ball every chance they get. The Warriors lead the league in fast break points, averaging 19.2 per game.
The Mavericks are 3-2 in their last five games at home.
Writer’s Prediction
The Warriors edge past the Mavericks in a shootout, 123-118.
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