Check out our free Heat vs Mavericks pick and preview for this NBA game in Dallas. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.
Heat vs Mavericks NBA Pick & Preview
- Sport: NBA
- Teams: Miami Heat at Dallas Mavericks
- Where: Dallas at American Airlines Center
- Date: Friday, January 20th
- Betting Odds DAL -1, MIA -111 | DAL -109 O/U 217.5
So far, the Heat have put together an overall record of 25-21, while going 19-25-2 vs the spread. Over the team’s past 3 games, Miami has an overall record of 2-1, including going 2-1 against the spread.
The Heat will look to keep things rolling, as they previously beat the Pelicans by a score of 124-98. Heading into the game, they were 3 point favorites against the spread, giving them an ATS win. Miami was able to maintain control throughout the game, as they outscored the Pelicans in each quarter. In the win, Bam Adebayo led the team in scoring with 26 points on a field goal percentage of 73.3%.
So far, the Mavericks have put together an overall record of 24-22, while going 15-29-2 vs the spread. Today, the Mavericks will be looking to snap a 3 game losing streak. The team has lost these games by an average of -14.0 points per contest.
The Mavericks are coming off a dissappointing 130-122 loss to the Hawks. Going into the game, they were favored to win by 2 points. Dallas was not able to make a comeback in this matchup, as they went into the half down by 3. In the loss, Luka Doncic led the team in scoring with 30 points on a field goal percentage of 47.4%.
Head To Head Recap & Stats
In the 2021-2022 regular season, the Mavericks and Heat split their head-to-head season series. In these matchups, each team won on their opponents home floor. Similar to their season-long average, the Heat averaged 112.0 points per game vs the Mavericks. Just like the Heat, the Mavericks maintained their usual level of scoring in head-to-head matchups, averaging 108.5 points per game vs Miami. The level of competition has been tight in the 5 most recent games between Heat and Mavericks with just -2 points per game separating the teams. Dallas has the ATS edge in this span at 3-2. A combined average of 220 points per game was achieved in these matchups, leading to an over-under mark of 3-2.
Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game
This season, the Miami offense is ranked 30th in the NBA in scoring at 109.2 points per game. So far, the Heat are averaging 97.0 possessions per game, which places them below the NBA average. If the Heat offense is going to turn things around, they will need to either generate more possessions or improve their overall efficiency. Currently, they are just 25th ranked team in 3-point shooting percentage.
On the defensive end of the floor, the Heat are giving up an average of 105.57 points per game, good for 4th in the NBA.
Center Bam Adebayo currently leads the Heat at 21.5 points per game. For the season, he is 54th in the NBA in usage rate and has taken 18.4% of the team’s field goal attempts. In addition to his scoring, Adebayo is averaging 10.1 boards and 3.0 assists per contest. In today’s game, he is facing off against the NBA’s 5th ranked defense at defending centers. Tyler Herro enters the game sitting second on the team in scoring. Through 34 games, he is averaging 20.8 and is 104th in the league in player efficiency rating.
For the season, the Mavericks offensive unit is ranked just 18th in scoring at 112.9 points per contest. When looking at the team’s pace of play, the Mavericks are currently below the league average in possessions per game, averaging just 96.9 per contest. A key aspect of the team’s offensive struggles is the fact that they not only play at a slow pace, but they struggle to score inside. Heading into today’s game, Dallas is just 30th in shots made inside the arc.
Defensively, the Mavericks are one of the top performing units in the league, giving up 104.72 points per contest (2nd).
A key injury to note in this game is the absence of the Mavericks 2nd leading scorer, Christian Wood. In his 42 games, Wood is averaging 18.4 points per game while dishing out 1.7 assists and grabbing 8.4 rebounds. In his absence, the team will be looking for even more production out of Luka Doncic, who leads the team and is 1st in the NBA at 33.7 points per contest. For the season, he has connected on 49.7% of his field goal attempts while taking 27.3% of the team’s shots from the floor.
Heat vs Mavericks Pick
- Free Spread Prediction: Mavericks -1
- Free Total Prediction: Under 217.5
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