WIth their annual Rodeo Trip behind them, the Spurs look to make up ground in the Western Conference standings as they begin a stretch of nine home games in their next 13. Dallas has lost 19 of its last 21 visits to the AT&T Center.
- Date/Time: February 26, 8:30 p.m.
- Arena: AT&T Center
- TV Coverage: ESPN, CW 35 San Antonio, Fox Sports Southwest, TSN
- Sportsbook Odds: Mavericks -4.5 | O/U 226
- Mavericks vs Spurs Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Mavericks are laying points in San Antonio for the first time since 2009 and the second time in the last 34 meetings. The Spurs have thrived in the home underdog role for the past couple of years, going 11-5 ATS and SU in their last 16 in that situation.
Dallas News & Notes
A sore ankle didn’t keep Luka Doncic from setting the early tone for the Mavericks in Monday’s 139-123 win over the visiting Timberwolves. After missing Saturday’s contest against Atlanta due to an ankle sprain, Doncic returned Monday to score 10 points in the Sportsbook frame as the Mavericks jumped out to an early 41-27 advantage and coasted the rest of the way.
Having a comfortable lead throughout enabled coach Rick Carlisle to limit Doncic to 25 minutes, although the superstar sophomore still put up 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in that limited action.
With Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis (knee) both dealing with injuries, other Mavericks have stepped up their game on offense. Tim Hardaway Jr. is averaging nearly 25 points per game over his last five outings, Seth Curry has shot 51.1 percent from three-point range in his last 16 games, and four other Dallas players cracked double digits in points against Minnesota. The Mavericks have cracked the 110-point mark in seven of their last nine games, going 8-1 to the OVER during that stretch.
Wednesday’s visit to the Spurs is the opener of a four-game road trip for the Mavericks, who will also travel to Miami, Minnesota and Chicago before returning home. Dallas is 19-9 SU and 19-7-2 ATS on the road, compared to 16-14 SU and 12-17-1 ATS at American Airlines Center.
San Antonio News & Notes
Sunday marked San Antonio’s final game of an eight-game road trip — and it showed. The Spurs ran out of gas in a 131-103 loss at Oklahoma City, concluding their annual Rodeo Trip (AT&T Center is the venue for the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo each year) with a 2-6 record.
Dejounte Murray missed all seven of his field-goal attempts en route to a scoreless outing, while LaMarcus Aldridge (eight points) and DeMar DeRozan (11) also had subpar offensive outings. San Antonio shot just 37 percent as a team and was outscored 70-48 after halftime. “It just looked like they didn’t have any juice,” coach Gregg Popovich said.
Two days to prepare for a visit from the Mavericks may be the perfect antidote, especially with Dallas playing its fourth game in six days. San Antonio is 16-8 SU in its last 24 games following two days of rest, and the Spurs have won 15 of their last 19 games against the in-state rival Mavs. However, Dallas has covered each of its last six trips to San Antonio.
Betting Pick: Spurs +4.5
The Spurs have a long history of performing well in their first game back from the Rodeo Trip, winning 15 of their last 18.
- The Mavericks have gone OVER the total in 8 of their last 9 games.
- The Spurs have gone OVER the total in 6 of their last 7 games.
- The Mavericks are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 road games vs the Spurs.
