We’re going to see Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic duke it out again this Wednesday, as the Warriors host the visiting Mavericks. The regular-season series between these teams is currently tied, 1-1.
Catch this game live on Wednesday, April 28, at 9:30 AM, Manila time
HOME TEAM: Golden State Warriors (31-30, 19-10 at home)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Stephen Curry
- SG: Andrew Wiggins
- SF: Kelly Oubre Jr.
- PF: Draymond Green
- C: Kevon Looney
Stephen Curry has been playing insanely great basketball that it’s easy to forget that he’s not the only reason the Warriors are having success of late. Golden State has gone 7-3 straight up over its last 10 games while covering the spread six times in that span.
The Warriors’ defense deserves a lot of credit for the team’s recent strong showing. They have allowed just 107.9 points with a 44.7 OppFG% during that same 10-game stretch. In their last game, Curry stayed hot, dropping 37 points (11-21 FG) with 7 threes in a 117-113 home win over the Sacramento Kings on Monday. Despite a thin frontcourt, the Warriors know they can subdue this Dallas team on Wednesday.
For one, they used a small-ball lineup to annihilate the Mavs at home back in February in a dominant 147-116 victory. Dallas might not still have Kristaps Porzingis and could possibly miss Maxi Kleber as well, and if that’s going to be the case again, the Warriors should match up well versus the Mavericks.
Also, the Mavs are not a dependable team against the spread on zero days of rest. In fact, the Mavericks are just 5-7 ATS this season in games that came after they played the day before.
ROAD TEAM: Dallas Mavericks (33-27, 17-13 A on the road)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Luka Doncic
- SG: Trey Burke
- SF: Dorian Finney-Smith
- PF: Maxi Kleber (day-to-day)
- C: Dwight Powell
The good times stopped rolling for Luka Doncic and the Mavs as they saw their three-game win streak end at the hands of the Sacramento Kings during a 113-106 road loss on Tuesday. Dallas doesn’t much time to sulk about that loss, as they’ll play the Warriors on zero days of rest.
The Mavericks did not have some key players against Sacramento, with Kristaps Porzingis and Josh Richardson both unavailable due to injuries. Considering that it was the first leg of a back-to-back set against a sub-.500 team, the Mavs probably just didn’t feel it was worth it forcing both players to take the court.
They could sing a different tune this Wednesday, though, against a tougher opponent. At the end of the day, it’s going to be Doncic who’ll dictate how good this Dallas team will play against Golden State. When the Mavs beat the Warriors last February at home, 134-132, Doncic had 42 points, 11 assists, and 7 rebounds to weather the 57-point storm Curry created that day in Dallas.
It should be noted here that the Mavericks have covered the spread seven times in the last 10 meetings with Golden State, dating back to 2018.
PREDICTIONS:
Spread:
The lines have since moved towards the favor of Dallas, which is currently just a 1-point favorite. Take the Mavericks to cover. (-1).
Over/Under:
As mentioned, Golden State’s defense has tightened up as of late. Expectations by the public for this game’s total seem high enough to capitalize on the Under (226.5).
