Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Clippers NBA Picks, Odds, Predictions 6/2/2021

The Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Clippers duke it out in a pivotal Game 5 at the Staples Center on Wednesday night.

The Dallas Mavericks will be hoping to reclaim the lead in the series after getting completely dominant in a 106-81 loss in Game 4 on Sunday. Luka Doncic struggled on his way to 19 points, six rebounds and six assists, Kristaps Porzingis added 18 points while Boban Majanovic chipped in with 12 points, but no other player finished in double figures in scoring. As a team, the Mavericks shot just 34 percent from the field and a miserly five of 30 from the 3-point line, but the story of the night was Doncic who was clearly hampered by a neck strain that had him grimacing and hunched over for the entire game. Jalen Brunson scored just seven points on two of eight shooting off the bench while Tim Hardaway Jr. continued to struggle as he scored just four points on one of eight shooting.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers will be growing in confidence after squaring up the series with a blowout win on Sunday. Kawhi Leonard barely missed a shot all night as he led the team with 29 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks on 11 of 15 shooting, Paul George added 20 points with nine rebounds while Reggie Jackson chipped in with 15 points. As a team, the Clippers shot 48 percent from the field and 13 of 33 from the 3-point line as they went to a small-ball tactics with Nicolas Batum inserted into the starting lineup which proved to be too much to handle. The Clippers simply defended hard and feasted on open plays before the Mavericks’ defense could settle.

Looking at the betting trends, the Mavericks are 6-2 ATS in their last eight road games, 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games against a team with a winning record and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games overall. The Clippers are 1-5 ATS in their last six home games, 2-5 ATS in their last seven games against a team with a winning record and 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall.

Head to head, the under is 6-2 in the last eight meetings overall, the Mavericks are 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings in Los Angeles and the Mavericks are 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings overall.

Doncic clearly wasn’t anywhere near 100 percent health in Game 4 and it obviously had a major impact on the Mavericks who are so heavily reliant on his offense, but the news is that he is feeling a little better since then. However, unless he’s playing at his usual high standards, I don’t see the Mavericks having enough to hang with the Clippers who look to be on a winning formula. The Mavericks need their role players like Porzingis and Hardaway Jr. to step up to have a chance here, but that hasn’t happened in the last two games and I don’t see that happening here. Give me the Clippers to move on step closer to the next round with a big win at home.