NBA: Dallas Mavericks vs. New York Knicks Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Dallas Mavericks and the New York Knicks square off at Madison, the world’s greatest basketball arena. No doubt, this will be a big motive for Luka Doncic and his teammates to go after another win, their seventh in a row. It would be great for Jason Kidd’s boys to keep on with the current rhythm and climb up the ladder in the Western Conference. The Knicks, on the other hand, showed some signs of life lately, winning three of the past four, and getting back on track. We’ll see if they can keep on at the same pace.

Preview

Dallas Mavericks (22-18, -135) are in wonderful form. They recently defeated the Nuggets, Warriors, and the Bulls, and even though these wins came at home, that can’t and won’t diminish their value. What is important is that the Mavs showed the incredible capability of adapting to these events.

They would go from high-scoring affairs to grinding matches in which each basket is worth gold. For instance, they scored 130 against the Rockets and 95 against the OKC Thunder. Also, the Mavs stopped two hot teams, inflicting them their first defeats in a while, the Warriors and the Bulls.

The win over Chicago, 113-99 was their last event. Luka had a triple-double with 22 points and 14 points and assists each. The Mavs were working hard to break the Bulls, erasing a minus from the second period and getting away in the fourth. Maxi Kleber and Josh Green both added 18 buckets each.

New York Knicks (20-21, +115) are 6-4 in the last 10 games but are 3-1 over the past four. They are still out of the playoff zone, but with solid prospects to get back into the same if they continue to play like this.

The Knicks defeated the Pacers, the Celtics, and the Spurs, while in the meantime lost to Boston on the road. All of their three wins were in New York, which is, to be honest normal, as Knicks use the fans and the atmosphere in the best possible way.

In a 111-96 victory over the Spurs, RJ Barrett was the best player on the court. The young Canadian scored 31 points, being on target in each clutch moment and situation. Evan Fournier had 18 points, while Alex Burks scored 16, and these three guys combined for 10 three-pointers, which was the key to victory. Julius Randle did the dirty work, scoring just two points but having 12 rebounds.

Head to Head

The Knicks and the Mavs split a win each in the 2021 season, securing triumphs on the road. The Mavs in NY, 99-86, and the Knicks in Dallas 117-109. They didn’t meet this year.

Prediction

The Knicks know to be very nasty at home, and that is mostly due to their hard and rough defense. But as said, the Mavs know how to adapt to the foul criteria and the pace of the game. The current line for the total points is at 204.5, and for us, this is a good chance to try Under. The Knicks games at home usually end under the proposed line, and the Mavs will accept that playstyle.

Pick: Under 204.5