NBA Basketball - Dallas Mavericks at San Antonio Spurs (-5½ 186) 8:00 PM EST
Things are certainly not cheaper by the dozen down in Dallas. The Mavericks completed putting their second winning streak of at least twelve games this season last night, a feat that has been done just 20 previous times in NBA history. Friday, they'll take dead aim on the franchise record of fourteen consecutive wins, which was accomplished four seasons ago. They will have to out-dual a San Antonio team that has lost three of its last five games.
Forget that Kobe vs. Shaq baloney, the best rivalry in the NBA is the Mavericks and Spurs. Though they seldom play against one another Dirk Nowitzki vs. Tim Duncan is fun to follow. The battles in the backcourt are treat as well, Jason Terry and Devin Harris matching up against the dynamic duo of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Rising star Josh Howard and Erik Dampier are both having very solid seasons for Dallas, as San Antonio's problems continue in the center position, were they are more like a donut.
While Dallas is locked in on the defensive end during this winning streak, the Spurs have not been prickly as per usual. Greg Popovich's team has surrendered more then a 100 points twice in the last five games. Home court advantage in this series has become about as useful as a Snoop Dog public service commercial on the dangers of smoking pot. The visiting team has won each of the last four games, dating back to last year's epic seven game war. The home team has covered one in the last ten meetings between these Southwest division rivals.
San Antonio will open as 5-point favorites at sportsbook.com, with the total situated presently at 187. Besides the advantage the road team has proven to have, Dallas is also a smart underdog with 31-13 ATS mark. The Spurs have normally performed well in home games off being a road favorite with 28-15 ATS record.
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