After thrashing San Antonio by 21 points in Game 2, the Dallas Mavericks go home to the American Airlines Center, where the Spurs have had lots of success recently. Can the Mavericks win two in a row against San Antonio, or will the Spurs take the series lead back in Game 3?
[sc:NBAArticles ]San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks Round 1, Game 3 Betting Preview
Series Schedule & Results
Game 1 – April 20, Dallas 85, San Antonio 90
Game 2 – April 23, Dallas 113, San Antonio 92
Game 3 – April 23, 4:30PM ET, San Antonio (-3.5) at Dallas (+3.5); total 202.5 – view all NBA lines
Game 4 – April 28, 9:30PM ET, San Antonio at Dallas
Game 5 – April 30, 8:00PM ET, Dallas at San Antonio
Game 6 (if necessary) – May 2, San Antonio at Dallas
Game 7 (if necessary) – May 4, Dallas at San Antonio
Betting on the San Antonio Spurs
Manu Ginobili was a walking contradiction in Game 2 for the San Antonio Spurs. The Argentinian anchored the Spurs’ vaunted bench production by scoring a team-high 27 points. On the other hand, he held back his team by committing an egregious six turnovers in the Spurs 92-113 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
[sc:NBA240banner ]With the series now tied, the Spurs head to Dallas, where they are 4-0 SU and ATS in their last four games. San Antonio averaged fewer points on the road during the regular season, but their 104.4 PPG in 41 games away from AT&T Center is still impressive. In addition, the Spurs managed 99 PPG in their last five road games, wherein they went 4-1 under.
In order to get the series lead back, the Spurs must not have a repeat of their 22-turnover performance in Game 2. Plagued by miscues on offense, the Spurs did not have enough opportunities to run their plays, as evidenced by their relatively low 17-assist output.
The Spurs are only dishing out an average of 15.5 APG in two games against Dallas, a big difference from their season average of 25.2, which is No. 1 in the NBA.
Betting on the Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks are No. 8 seeds but played like a championship team when they overpowered San Antonio by 21 in Game 2.
The Mavericks tied the series with San Antonio thanks in large part to the inspired play of Shawn Marion and Monta Ellis, who scored 20 and 21 points, respectively, after combining for only 19 points in the first game. Rick Carlisle would like to see more of the same from them along with Dirk Nowitzki in Game 3. Nowitzki rebounded from an 11-point performance in Game 1 by contributing 16 points.
Moreover, Dallas has to continue their fine job of limiting the Spurs’ inside scoring. After seeing San Antonio put up 56 points in the paint in the series opener, the Mavericks reduced it to half in Game 2 with only 28 points allowed in the shaded area.
Writer’s Prediction
The Spurs are too disciplined a team to have two straight games of bad basketball in the playoffs. Their Game 2 loss should have lit a fire underneath them, leading to fewer turnovers in Game 3 and more scoring chances. Take the Spurs to win straight up and the Mavericks to cover +3.5 in a tight one.
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