Mavericks vs. Spurs prediction and odds for Saturday, December 31 (Dallas struggles as road favorite)
By Peter Dewey
The Dallas Mavericks are on a five-game winning streak that has propelled them into the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference entering Saturday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs.
Both the Spurs and Mavs have benefited from playing the New York Knicks this week, with the Spurs coming away with a win against them on Thursday.
Luka Doncic is playing at an extremely high level right now, notching a 60-point triple-double against the Knicks and following that up with a 35-point triple-double in a 15-point win over the Houston Rockets.
He’s going to be a tough cover for the Spurs, who have the worst defensive rating in the NBA, but the Mavs are also down a few key role players.
Dorian Finney-Smith, Josh Green and Maxi Kleber are all out for this game, while the Spurs are down wing Devin Vassell (doubtful).
The Mavericks haven’t been great as road favorites this season, but do they find a way to cover against the lowly Spurs?
Here’s a look at the latest odds and a pick for this game:
Mavericks vs. Spurs odds, spread and total
Mavericks vs. Spurs prediction and pick
This is the 11th time this season that the Mavericks have been favored on the road, and they’ve gone just 3-7 against the spread so far in this spot.
Dallas has not been great away from home, winning just five of its 16 road games this season.
It’s hard to build a case for San Antonio, since the team ranks 30th in net rating, 30th in defensive rating and 27th in offensive rating, but the Spurs did win outright as home dogs against the Knicks this week.
San Antonio has gone 8-8 against the spread as a home underdog, and it should be able to keep things relatively close against a shorthanded Dallas team without arguably its best defender in Finney-Smith.
Dallas is the far better team, but it has really struggled against the spread this season. This may be a few too many points to give the Spurs at home.
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.