Will The Mavericks Begin New Winning Streak Against Cleveland?
The Mavericks vs Cavaliers Betting Lines Are On The Betting Board!
The Dallas Mavericks will need to start a new winning streak on the road when they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Rocket Mortgage Field House.
Dallas hadn’t lost since early February until a 133-111 defeat to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. The Mavericks had been home for most of their winning streak but had traveled for the Pacers game and lost.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers ended a two-game losing streak with a 114-105 win over the Wizards on Sunday. The road win against Washington wasn’t impressive, as Washington only has nine wins this season. Cleveland couldn’t even get a double-digit victory in that game.
The Cavaliers welcomed Donovan Mitchell back into the lineup after missing previous games with an illness. They’re 1-0 with him back in the lineup since the All-Star break. Therefore, the Cavaliers are still favorites at home, sitting at -4 with the total at 234.
Let’s break down the Mavericks vs Cavaliers betting lines for this intriguing matchup.
Dallas Mavericks vs Cleveland Cavaliers 
Location: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Day/Time: Streaming: NBA League Pass
Mavericks vs Cavaliers Betting Lines & Trends
The Mavericks have performed slightly better than the Cavaliers against the spread this season. Dallas has covered 30 of 57 games, while the Cavaliers have gone 28-28 against the spread this year.
Meanwhile, both teams have hit the Under more times than the Over. Dallas is 15-11 on the road, with the Cavaliers sitting at 19-10 at home.
This will be the second of two meetings between the Cavaliers and Mavericks. In the first one, Cleveland earned a 113-110 win on December 27 on the road. The Cavaliers were a six-point underdog and won that game outright. The Under 232 also hit after a combined 223 points.
The Mavericks Are Legitimate Contenders
Before Sunday’s matchup between the Mavericks and Pacers, former Dallas head coach and current Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle told the media that he believes the Mavericks are legitimate contenders for the NBA Championship this season.
He really liked the additions at the NBA Trade Deadline, with Dallas adding P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford for size, skill, and toughness.
Carlisle was also Luka Doncic’s first head coach in the NBA. He’s seen his growth and continues to be mind-blown by Doncic. Carlisle believes Doncic is re-writing history. A championship would certainly help Doncic continue re-writing history.
Caris LeVert’s Big Sunday
On Sunday, the Cavaliers snuck by the Wizards with a nine-point victory. Caris LeVert added 18 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists in that win.
Before this game against Washington, LeVert had shot 5-for-29 in his previous three games. But he can add so much else to the box score that he still earned solid minutes off the bench.
LeVert finally saw his shot fall through the hoop but continued to contribute to other areas in the box score.
If Cleveland also wants to compete for the championship, they’ll need production like this from role players off the bench.
Take The Home Team
The Cavaliers didn’t have their best showing against the Wizards. But it was a slight adjustment with Donovan Mitchell back in the lineup for the first time since the All-Star break.
Cleveland only has an average offense. The team has shot an effective field goal percentage of 55.7% and has earned just 26.5% of offensive rebounds.
However, Dallas has given up a 55.6% effective field goal percentage and 28.3% of offensive rebounds. Other than free throw attempts, Cleveland will likely have an advantage in all other major offensive categories against Dallas’ below-average defense that has allowed 117.2 points per 100 possessions.
The second chances for the Cavaliers should also give Cleveland more shot attempts. If they can limit turnovers at home, that would even be better. Right now, the Cavaliers are turning the ball over at about an average rate of 13.4% of the time.
On the other hand, Dallas’ offense has done bigger and better things. The Mavericks have scored 119.1 points per 100 possessions and have added a 57% effective field goal percentage. But unlike Cleveland, the Mavericks have only earned 24.2% of offensive rebounds. That’s ultimately why the Mavericks made some changes at the deadline, looking for better rebounding at the power forward position.
But with Cleveland allowing only 25.2% of offensive rebounds, Dallas won’t have massive success earning second chances. The Mavericks will have a low amount of offensive rebounds and might struggle to find good shots, with the Cavaliers holding opponents to a 52.8% effective field goal percentage.
The NBA starting lineups shouldn’t change on Tuesday. Unlike some NBA games tomorrow, both teams have their five healthy and ready to go.
With that said, we’re staring at the NBA spreads and locked in on the Mavericks vs Cavaliers betting lines.
Dallas’ win streak was mostly from playing at home. On the road, they were blown out by the Pacers in the second half and had no answers. Expect the same against the Cavaliers. Let’s back Cleveland at -4 (-110) for this inter-league matchup.
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