NBA Spreads: Oklahoma City Thunder at Dallas Mavericks
Written by Steve Janus - Google +
The Dallas Mavericks will go for their third straight win without Caron Butler and most likely without Dirk Nowitzki, when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight. The Mavericks were able to hold on to beat the Trail Blazers 84-81 on Tuesday, and have now won two straight since losing their first three without Nowitzki. The Thunder struggled defensively in a 110-105 loss at Memphis, their third straight loss away from home. The Mavericks have already beat the Thunder twice on their home floor this season, and can sweep the three-game series with a win tonight. The NBA spreads for this game have not yet been posted, be sure to stop back, as they will surely be up shortly.
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The Thunder got 28 points a piece from Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in their latest loss to the Grizzlies. Oklahoma City shot 51% from the field, but they also allowed the Grizzlies to shoot 51%.
The Thunder really hurt themselves by not being able to rebound the basketball. Memphis took advantage of 12 offensive rebounds, including six from Zach Randolph, who finished with 31 points and 16 rebounds.
In the two previous matchups with the Mavericks Tyson Chandler grabbed 10 offensive boards, and if they don’t keep him off the glass, it is going to be very hard for the Thunder to win at Dallas, even if Nowitzki is out.
The Thunder however have to be hoping that Nowitzki can’t play in this one. Dirk had 34 points in the Mavericks first win over the Thunder, and then had 13 points in just 12 minutes before injuring his knee in the last game against Oklahoma City.
Jason Terry has stepped into the starting lineup for Butler, and has scored 18 points in each of his first two starts. DeShawn Stevenson has also picked up the scoring over the last couple games, dropping 21 on Cleveland, and then 18 on Portland.
While there is no question that the Mavericks will be a better team when Nowitzki steps back on the floor, the Mavericks suffered a big blow when they lost Butler for the rest of the season, and it will be interesting to see if this team falls off from their great start to the 2010 season.
With no spread on the game as of right now, it appears that the oddsmakers are waiting to get a better idea of whether or not Nowitzki will play. If he does, I think you take the Mavericks at home, but if Nowitzki is out, I think there is excellent value on the Thunder.
For more help with who to take this season, check out what our expert NBA handicappers have to offer in their daily NBA picks.
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