NBA Basketball Betting - Dallas Mavericks at San Antonio Spurs 8:00 PM EST
The Spurs are currently favored by 5 with the game total sitting at 181 at sportsbook.com for tonight's Texas matchup.
 San Antonio and Dallas is one of the best rivalries in all of sports. It has also captured bettors' attention as the Mavericks have covered four of the last five head-to-head meetings, and the underdog is 14-3 ATS in their last 17 games.
Both of these teams are on winning streaks heading into tonight's 8 pm ET clash on TNT.
Dallas (38-19, 23-31-3 ATS) made one of the biggest moves at the trade deadline by acquiring point guard Jason Kidd from New Jersey.
Since the trade, they have gone 3-1 straight-up and 2-2 ATS. While some will say their three-game winning streak over Memphis, Minnesota and Chicago is akin to beating good college teams, you can only play the schedule in front of you.
The Mavericks showed they were not done dealing this past Tuesday, signing backup center Jamaal Magloire. They are also one of the teams interested in the services of Clippers' guard Sam Cassell. Cassell is currently negotiating to get his buyout from the squad.
Magloire could start to pay benefits against the Spurs, as Dallas is hurting in the middle with DeSagana Diop traded to the Nets.
Starter Erick Dampier is not capable of playing more than 30 minutes per game, and his defense leaves much to be desired. Look for Magloire to get some minutes guarding Tim Duncan and his fabulous post-up game.
San Antonio (38-17, 27-27-1 ATS) is on a six-game winning streak and has won 10 out of 11. Their ATS record over that span is 8-3.
The Spurs made a deadline deal of their own, acquiring toughman Kurt Thomas from Seattle for center Francisco Elson and guard Brent Barry. Barry has since been released and he could re-sign with the Spurs.
Thomas is nothing more than a backup at this stage of his career, but he can rebound the basketball and he knows how to play playoff level defense.
With the earlier signing of backup point guard Damon Stoudamire, the Spurs look ready to defend last season's NBA title.
San Antonio's last game was an 89-74 decision over Atlanta on Monday. It was the third game back for point guard Tony Parker, and he looked more like his old self with 15 points and nine assists in 28 minutes of action.
Dallas and San Antonio have met twice this year, with each winning on their home court. The game in San Antonio was on December 5th and the Spurs won 97-95 despite playing without Duncan. Manu Ginobili had 37 points in that game to lead the way.
Both teams are well rested as they haven't played since Monday. San Antonio is 16-11-1 ATS at home this season and Dallas is just 12-18 ATS on the road.
While the Mavericks would like to think the addition of Kidd will help in that area, they have to prove it against the Western Conference elite.
Be sure to check out the NBA basketball betting forum to post your picks for tonight's games. |
