The Dallas Mavericks (24-21 SU, 15-28-2 ATS) welcome the Atlanta Hawks (22-22, 18-25-1) to American Airlines Center on Wednesday with the visitors seeking their fourth straight victory. Dallas opened as the slight 3-point favorite with the total set at 232.5 points.
Dallas should have the advantage on paper, winning four of its last five home games vs Atlanta, while the OVER is 8-4 in the last 12 meetings between the two teams. Despite Dallas’ edge, Atlanta has gone 13-4 ATS in the last 17 meetings so chances are this is a close one either way.
Latest Betting Notes: Hawks
The Hawks picked up their third straight win on Monday as they beat the Miami Heat 121-113. Jimmy Butler dropped 34 points for the Heat to lead all scorers but Dejounte Murray (28 points) and Trae Young (24 points) topped a Hawks team that featured six double-digit scorers in the win.
After a four-game skid to finish 2022 and start the new year, the Hawks have turned things around, going 5-2 in their last seven games. Young has been hot this month, averaging 27.4 points per game while scoring 30-plus in three of those contests. Atlanta is also enjoying strong performances from throughout the lineup as seven players are scoring at least 10 points per game in January.
Latest Betting Notes: Mavericks
The Mavericks dropped back-to-back contests to the Portland Trail Blazers, most recently falling 140-123 on Sunday. Damian Lillard dropped 40 points to lead Portland to victory while Spencer Dinwiddie had 28 to top Dallas.
Dallas was undermanned in that game, playing without three starters in Luka Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dorian Finney-Smith. While Hardaway (ankle) remains out for Wednesday’s matchup, Doncic (ankle) is listed as probable and Finney-Smith (hip) is expected to play his first game since December 19.
Doncic scored just 15 points in his last appearance on Saturday but his NBA-leading 33.8 points per game would certainly provide a huge boost to the Mavs’ chances should he return.
Hawks Player Prop: Young OVER 28 Points (+112)
Young has been a huge part of the Hawks’ recent run, leading the team in points in four of its last six contests. The point guard is averaging 27.4 points per game this season – tops on Atlanta – and has scored at least 26 points in 10 of his last 13 appearances.
Dallas has been decent defensively this season, allowing 112.3 points per game, tied for 11th in the league. The Mavericks have struggled in their half court of late, though, giving up 276 points to the Trail Blazers over their two-game set – that obviously bodes well for Young to hit the OVER in this matchup.
Mavericks Player Prop: Doncic OVER 37 Points (+118)
Doncic had a very rare off-night in his last outing as he scored 15 points on 7-for-19 shooting from the field and 0-for-5 shooting from three-point territory against Portland. That performance broke a streak of 11 straight contests in which Doncic had at least 20 points, with the star guard scoring 30-plus nine times during that span.
While Doncic is obviously a volume shooter, averaging nearly 23 field-goal attempts per game, his chances at hitting the OVER likely hinge on his precision from long range. Doncic is shooting just over 35 percent from beyond the arc, though that number is down to 25 in January.
