Dallas Mavericks San Antonio Spurs Game 4 Predictions
Written April 24, 2009 by Jason Lowry
On Saturday the Dallas Mavericks will look to go up 3-1 in their first round series with the San Antonio Spurs, as the Mavericks dominated the Spurs in Game 3. For Dallas it was all about defense, as they held the Spurs to a franchise playoff-low of 67 points, in the Mavericks 88-67 win in their first game at home in the series. Dirk Nowitzki scored 20 points on 8-12 shooting in just 27 minutes to lead the way for the Mavericks. They also got some solid scoring from Josh Howard who dropped in 17 and Jose Barea scored 13 points in his first ever playoff start. For the Spurs it was pretty ugly from the start, scoring just 30 points in the first half. Tony Parker led the way for the Spurs with 12 points, but head coach Gregg Popovich was so unpleased with his starters performance that he benched is starters early in the 3rd quarter, and none of them returned. All-star power forward Tim Duncan had just 4 points on 2-9 shooting, while Michael Finley failed to score a point. A lot will have to change for the Spurs if they want any chance of winning game 4. Here is a look at what I think each team needs to do to win game 4, plus my prediction on who comes out on top against the spread.
What the Spurs have to do to win: Its hard to narrow it down to just a couple things, as this team was plain awful in game 3. The Spurs playoff hopes will be pretty much on the line in game 3, as they can’t afford to fall behind 3 games to 1. The best thing the Spurs can do is completely forget about he disaster that was game 3, and put all their focus on winning game 4. The defense wasn’t terrible for this team, but it doesn’t matter how good of defense you play, you won’t win in the NBA scoring less than 70 points in a playoff game. The veterans have to step up and perform to their level in game 4 or they might as well pack it up and get ready for next year. Duncan doesn’t look anywhere near the player he once was, as his knees continue to slow him down. Parker has played well in this series, but he can’t do it alone. Considering the playing time the bench got, just Fabricio Oberto scored in double figures, and while they won’t get that much playing time in game 4, they have to get more out of this unit if they want to win. I expect the Spurs to respond in game 4, but I just don’t know if this team has enough in them to win this game. Bet the Spurs +3.5 at Sportsbook.com.
What the Mavericks have to do to win: I think it was pretty clear after their performance in game 3, that if this team gets after it on the defensive side of things, it is a very good basketball team and a team that could cause a lot of problems for any team in the Western Conference. Besides Nowitzki shooting the ball extremely well, I was impressed with the play from Josh Howard in game 3, as I really felt he had to get it going if this team was going. I like the move of Barea to the starting lineup, as he has proven he can score the basketball. The Mavericks continue to get great bench play out of Jason Terry and Brandon Bass, and that will have to keep up if they are going to really take advantage of this series. If the Mavericks play anywhere near the level they brought to game 3, this team should be headed back to San Antonio up 3-1. Bet the Mavericks -3.5 at Sportsbook.com.
My Prediction: Mavericks -3.5. I really liked the Mavericks coming into this series, and I think they pretty much put an end to the Spurs run this season with another big win in game 4. I won’t be surprised if the Spurs find a way to come back and win game 5 at home, but if the Mavericks win game 4 this series is over. I look for Nowitzki and Howard to both have big games, and I see the Mavericks winning this one by 8-10 points.
For those of you looking for some NBA betting advice, be sure to check out our expert NBA picks and the latest NBA odds at Betfirms.
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