The Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets are beginning to rebound from slow starts as the Western Conference rivals face off Thursday night at Ball Arena. The Mavericks (3-4 SU, 3-4 ATS) are coming off an impressive 113-100 win over the Houston Rockets but find themselves slight underdogs against the Nuggets (3-4 SU, 2-5 ATS), who have won two in a row.
- Date/Time: January 7, 10 p.m. ET
- Arena: Ball Arena
- TV Coverage: TNT
- Sportsbook Odds: Nuggets -3.5 | O/U 226 (Line History)
- Mavericks vs Nuggets Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Nuggets opened as 3.5-point favorites, but the line across the board is now sitting at -3. The Sportsbook total of 226 has shifted to between 224 and 225, with the majority of sportsbooks splitting the difference at 224.5.
Dallas News & Notes
Luka Doncic has returned with a vengeance – and opposing teams should be worried. After scuffling through his first four games of the season, the Mavericks superstar has been on fire over his past two games, averaging 30 points, 15.5 rebounds and nine assists while leading Dallas to consecutive victories over the Rockets and Miami Heat.
Doncic’s production is likely to continue Thursday against a Nuggets team that comes in ranked last in the NBA in defensive rating (113.2). He’s worth a look in all daily fantasy formats despite carrying a massive salary.
As for other Mavericks to consider, there aren’t any that are consistent enough from game to game, though Tim Hardaway Jr. (17.0 ppg) is worth a look in tournaments.
Denver News & Notes
The Nuggets have looked good offensively, but it won’t matter if they don’t do something about a porous defense that is allowing the fifth-most points in the Western Conference (116.0 ppg).
On the plus side, they’ve held Dallas below 110 points in four of the last five meetings between the teams, while “limiting” Doncic to a 22.8/7.2/9.0 career stat line in five encounters.
Fortunately for Denver, it has its own multi-talented superstar to counter the all-around prowess of Doncic. Big man Nikola Jokic is off to an MVP-caliber start in the Mile High City, averaging 24.1 points, 11.7 rebounds and 11.9 assists. It might be difficult to fit both Jokic and Doncic into the same DFS lineup, so if you choose only one, we recommend Jokic.
Betting Pick: Nuggets -3 (-110)
Assuming that Doncic and Jokic cancel each other out from a statistical standpoint, we like the Nuggets’ depth a whole lot more than what the Mavericks have to offer – especially at elevation.
- The Mavericks are 5-10 ATS in their past 15 games.
- The Nuggets are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games.
- The OVER is 9-1 in Denver’s last 10 games.
