Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks have a golden opportunity to advance to the next round with a win in Game 6 against the Utah Jazz. Will the Mavs take out Utah in six games? Or, will the Jazz live to play another game? 

Catch this game live on Friday, April 29, at 10 AM, Manila time

Away: Dallas Mavericks (3-2/1-1 Away)

Projected Starting Five:

  • PG: Luka Doncic
  • SG: Jalen Brunson
  • SF: Reggie Bullock
  • PF: Dorian Finney-Smith
  • C: Dwight Powell

Luka Doncic is always the star of the show for the Mavs whenever he’s around. But it’s Sean Sweeney and Dallas’ defense that’s making the Jazz bleed more in the playoffs. Take for example the Mavs’ Game 5 win 102-77 home win in which Utah shot just 37.7 FG%. Donovan Mitchell, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Mike Conley were all shut down by the Mavs, with the three Jazz shooters combining for just 5/30 shooting from the field.

 So far in the series, the Jazz are scoring just 99.6 points per game on 44.6 FG%. The Mavs are not shooting so well overall either, but they are getting more shots and considerably more accurate and more prolific in terms of 3-pointers. The Mavs are hitting 15.2 threes per game (36.5 3FG%), while the Jazz are being limited to only 8.0 threes on 28.8 3FG%. Dallas heads to Salt Lake City carrying a 4-0 record against the spread in their last four road games overall.

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Home: Utah Jazz (2-3/1-1 Home)

Projected Starting Five:

  • PG: Mike Conley
  • SG: Donovan Mitchell (DTD)
  • SF: Bojan Bogdanovic
  • PF: Royce O’Neale
  • C: Rudy Gobert

It smells like trouble for the Jazz. Not only are they trailing in the series, but they could possibly be playing this Friday without Donovan Mitchell. The Jazz’s top scorer was not able to finish Game 5 because of a hamstring issue, which could force him to miss Game 6. But considering the importance of the upcoming contest, Mitchell could play through his injury. In any case, the Jazz will need Bogdanovic and Conley to have strong bounce-back performances. Meanwhile, Jordan Clarkson is hoping that he stays hot after scoring 20 points on 9/15 shooting in Game 5. 

Clarkson is putting up 18.0 points per game in the series on the strength of a 60.3 FG%. The Jazz also still have Rudy Gobert, who probably needs to get more shots to raise Utah’s offensive efficiency. That will come down to how creative and unselfish Jazz’s playmakers are. If Mitchell misses Game 6, Gobert should get a bit of a bump in his shots. The Jazz are 6-2 against the spread in their last eight games as a home underdog.

PREDICTIONS:

Spread: With or without Mitchell, the Jazz are not going to be destroyed by 20+ points again in Game 6. Taking the Jazz to cover (+1.5) with their season on the line.

Over/Under: Taking the Over (208.5).

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