Mavericks Take Charge, Favs for Game 3
Clippers vs Mavericks Prediction
The Dallas Mavericks tied the series on Tuesday, and now they look to take charge at home on Friday.
We have our Clippers vs Mavericks prediction for Game 3 at American Airlines Center, where the Mavericks are -4 favorites.
The NBA Western Conference series is expected to be close, and the first two games are a great indication of what’s to come.
Clippers vs Mavericks 
Location: American Airlines Center
Day/Time:
Clippers Let One Slip
The Clippers were in control of Game 2 on Tuesday, but they let the Mavericks finish too strongly in the fourth quarter.
They now need to regain their confidence on the road, but beating the Mavericks at American Airlines Center won’t be easy.
We were disappointed with the effort from Kawhi Leonard, who didn’t take control down the stretch. Instead, the onus fell on the likes of James Harden, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook.
The former Thunder connection wasn’t able to seal the deal, but now they move onto Game 3 where they are +4 underdogs.
Our NBA predictions expect that line to move to around +4.5, as the Mavericks are a hyped team. However, the Clippers are good enough to bounce back and regain home court advantage.
They need more scoring, and they can’t have Harden leading the team with 22 points. Leonard and George need to score buckets if they have any chance of stealing a game on the road.
However, they need to wrestle back the momentum from the Mavericks, who truly stunned the Clippers crowd.
Mavericks Back on Track
We said the Mavericks needed more of a team effort to win Game 2, and they delivered for bettors.
They had four players average double figures with NBA scores, including 18 points for P.J. Washington and 10 points for Derrick Jones Jr.
“Obviously it was a must-win and everybody was locked in,” Washington said. “They punched us in the mouth in Game 1 and we just wanted to respond.”
That helped Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving do their thing, and it was Doncic with the daggers down the stretch. He was a man on fire, which is why he’s the most important player on the team.
It’s also why the Mavericks are -4 favorites, and our Clippers vs Mavericks prediction expects another big game from their leader on Friday.
Our only worry with taking the Mavericks is Doncic’s fatigue. He played 46 minutes in Game 2, so he will appreciate a couple of days off.
However, he’s the ultimate professional, and he rarely disappoints when his team needs him. He should score over 30 points again, and that should be enough to see them cover the spread in consecutive games.
Riding the Hot Team
We’re picking the Mavericks to win again and cover the -4 spread.
Our Clippers vs Mavericks prediction has the Mavericks pulling away in the second half and covering the number.
We also expect a high scoring contest, despite only 189 points being scored in Game 2. The defense was superb, but that’s not usually how either team defends.
Bettors can take a same-game parlay with the Mavericks -4 and over 209.5. Both options are a good chance of cashing, in particular the Mavericks -4, who took control of the series and they might not look back.
Clippers vs Mavericks Odds
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