Mavericks vs Cavaliers Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Saturday, December 17th

Check out our free Mavericks vs Cavaliers pick and preview for this NBA game in Cleveland. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.

Mavericks vs Cavaliers NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: Dallas Mavericks at Cleveland Cavaliers
Where: Cleveland at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Date: Saturday, December 17th
Betting Odds CLE -4, DAL +152 | CLE -185 O/U 213.5

So far, the Mavericks have put together an overall record of 15-14, while going 9-18-2 vs the spread. Over the team’s past 3 games, Dallas has an overall record of 2-1, including going 1-2 against the spread.

In their previous game, the Mavericks took down the Trail Blazers by a score of 130-110. Not only did they come away with a straight up win, but they also covered the spread as 4 point favorites. Dallas put together a strong second half, as they only held a 9 point lead going into halftime. In the win, Luka Doncic led the team in scoring with 33 points on a field goal percentage of 61.1%.

So far, the Cavaliers have put together an overall record of 19-11, while going 17-12-1 vs the spread. Against the Mavericks, the Cavaliers are looking to add to their current 2 game winning streak. The average margin of victory across these matchups is 10.5.

Cleveland is going for another win in today’s game, as they previously took down the Pacers. Going into the game, they were 8 point favorites against the spread. Their 118-112 victory was not enough to cover. Cleveland went on to win the game, despite trailing by 7 going into halftime. In the win, Donovan Mitchell led the team in scoring with 41 points on a field goal percentage of 58.3%.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

I Similar to their season-long average, the Mavericks averaged 108.0 points per game vs the Cavaliers. Just like the Mavericks, the Cavaliers maintained their usual level of scoring in head-to-head matchups, averaging 113.0 points per game vs Dallas. In terms of betting, Dallas has an ATS record of 3-2 in the previous 5 matchups vs Cleveland. This mark has come on an average scoring margin of +5 points per game in favor of the Mavericks. Dallas and Cleveland averaged a combined 211 points per game in these games, leading to an over-under mark of 2-2-1.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

Through 29 games, Dallas is averaging 111.8 points per game (19th). The Mavericks come into the game as one of the league’s better 3-point shooting teams, connecting at a rate of 14.8 made 3’s per game. If the Mavericks offense is going to improve, they could look to play at a faster tempo, as they currently average just 96.4 possession per game. This could benefit the team as they are currently one of the better 3-point shooting units in the NBA.

Defensively, the Mavericks are one of the top performing units in the league, giving up 104.72 points per contest (2nd).

This season, the Mavericks offense has primarily worked through Luka Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie who are 1st and 2nd on the team in scoring. In his 27 games, Doncic is 2nd in the NBA at 33.0 points per game. So far, him and Dinwiddie have accounted for 42% of the team’s field goal attempts while combining to average 49.4 points per contest. In addition to sitting 2nd on the team in scoring, Spencer Dinwiddie is grabbing 3.3 rebounds for Dallas to go along with 5.3 assists.

Through 30 games, the Cavaliers are averaging 110.9 points per contest, placing them 24th in the NBA. So far, the Cavaliers are averaging 96.2 possessions per game, which places them below the NBA average. Although the Cavaliers have a current effective field goal percentage of 54.6%, their below average pace of play is a key factor behind their mediocre scoring numbers.

Defensively, the Cavaliers are one of the top performing units in the league, giving up 105.67 points per contest (5th).

This season, the Cavaliers offense has primarily worked through Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland who are 1st and 2nd on the team in scoring. In his 26 games, Mitchell is 8th in the NBA at 29.7 points per game. So far, him and Garland have accounted for 44% of the team’s field goal attempts while combining to average 50.599999999999994 points per contest. In addition to sitting 2nd on the team in scoring, Darius Garland is grabbing 2.6 rebounds for Cleveland to go along with 7.9 assists.