The Dallas Mavericks host the Philadelphia 76ers at American Airlines Center on Thursday night for the first meeting of the season between the two contenders.
Philadelphia is in Texas for the second leg of a back-to-back, following a 23-point win Wednesday in Miami without Joel Embiid. Dallas lost a tight game at home Tuesday to the Pacers, a continuation of its recent struggles since the Kyrie Irving trade.
These teams split the season series last year, 1–1, and the home team took each game.
Depending on the status of Embiid, this might be a meeting between two of the top candidates for MVP with Luka Dončić opposite him. It also pits the league’s leading scorer in Dončić, who’s good for 33.2 points per game, against Embiid, who averages an even 33 points and won the scoring title a season ago.
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET | TNT
Spread: 76ers +4.5 (-110) | Mavericks -4.5 (-110)
Moneyline: PHI (+145 | DAL (-175)
Total: 228.5 — Over (-110) | Under (-110)
What You Need to Know
The 76ers (40–21) are in third place in the Eastern Conference and have gone 6–4 over their last 10 games. Embiid missed the Heat game due to right foot soreness and he is listed as questionable against Dallas. Even without him, the team rolled to a 119-96 win behind a game-high 27 points from Tyrese Maxey to put an end to a two-game skid. Philadelphia is 16–11 straight up in road games this season, which is good for the third-best record in the league.
The Mavericks (32–31) occupy seventh in the West and are 4–6 over their last 10. Davis Bertans, who is out with a calf injury, is the only player on their injury report. Dallas came up short at home against Indiana on Tuesday, 124-122, despite 39 points from Dončić. Irving finished with 16 points, his lowest total so far with his new team. The Mavericks defend home court well enough with a 20–12 mark in front of their fans, though they’ve dropped their last two at home.
PHI-DAL Betting Records and Trends
Philadelphia is one of the best teams to bet on in the NBA while Dallas is tied for the worst. The 76ers are 35–21–1 ATS and 14–13 on the road. The Mavericks are just 22–38–3 ATS and that mark isn’t any better at home, where they are 10–19–3. Dallas is also 1–4 straight up so far this season when Irving and Dončić share the floor.
When it comes to the over/under, both teams see their games hit the over at high rates. This is despite the 76ers and Mavericks both being in the bottom half of the league in scoring average and in the top half of the league in points allowed. Both teams are also in the bottom five in pace. The over is 35–28 this season for Dallas and 7–3 over its last 10. As for Philadelphia, the over is 33–27–1 for the season and 4–6 over its last 10.
Best Bet for 76ers-Mavericks
The 76ers have significantly outplayed the Mavericks over the last month, though bettors certainly need to keep an eye on Embiid’s status as tipoff approaches. Defensively, Dallas doesn’t have much of an answer for the league’s No. 2 scorer. It seems the plan has been to simply outscore opponents with Irving and Dončić, and so far that hasn’t worked against a crop of teams with less talented defenses than Philadelphia.
Grab the points for the Sixers on the road, though I’m not opposed to taking them to win outright if Embiid suits up.
BET: 76ers +4.5 (-110)