Los Angeles Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks – 8/17/20 NBA Pick, Odds, and Prediction

The Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Clippers collide in Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on Monday night.

The Dallas Mavericks lost five of their eight games in the bubble, but with the team close to full strength, they will be quietly confident about making some noise in these playoffs. Luka Doncic led the team with averages of 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game, Kristaps Porzingis averaged 20.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game, Tim Hardaway Jr. averaged 15.8 points per game while Seth Curry averaged 12.4 points per game. As a team, the Mavericks averaged 117.0 points per game on 46.1 percent shooting from the field and 36.7 percent shooting from the 3-point line.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers won five of their eight games in the bubble to hang onto the second seed in the Western Conference. Kawhi Leonard led the team with averages of 27.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game, Paul George averaged 21.5 points and 3.9 assists per game while Lou Williams averaged 18.2 points and 5.6 assists per game off the bench. As a team, the Clippers averaged 116.3 points per game on 46.6 percent shooting from the field and 37.1 percent shooting from the 3-point line. Montrezl Harrell missed the last eight games of the regular season, but the news is that he is expected to clear quarantine in time for Monday which is a great boost for the Clippers.

Looking at the betting trends, the Mavericks are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games against a team above .600, 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games as an underdog and 2-6 ATS in their last eight games overall. The Clippers are 4-0 ATS in their last four games against a team with a winning record, 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games as a favorite and 4-1 ATS in their last five games overall.

Head to head, the over is 4-1 in the last five meetings in Los Angeles, the Mavericks are 2-6-1 ATS in the last nine meetings in Los Angeles and the Mavericks are 0-4 ATS in the last four meetings overall.

The Clippers look primed for a long playoff run as they’re close to full strength and they will be full of confidence as they’ve already beaten the Mavericks three times this season, including a 126-111 win in the bubble back on Aug 6. The Mavericks only won three of their eight games in the bubble and their defense left a lot to be desired, so I’m going with the Clippers to pull away for the win and cover in this one.