Life without Luka
The Dallas Mavericks are still trying to adjust with life without Luka Doncic, who’s still out with an ankle injury. The team split the two full games without him, upsetting the favored Milwaukee Bucks on the road and then losing a close one at home against the Boston Celtics.
The Mavs are currently 18-9 and rank fourth in the Western Conference standings.
On both occasions, Kristaps Porzingis maintained his rise from obscurity. He’s been tallying 22.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game over his last four. It included three-straight games with at least 20 points and 10 boards after having three in his 22 prior outings.
With Porzingis being the focal point, Tim Hardaway Jr. (17.4 PPG) and Seth Curry will be the main secondary corners. Both are contributing well as of late, particularly the latter, who dropped 30 against the Detoit Pistons last week and now has consecutive 20-plus point games.
Dallas is 10-2 on the road overall and has six straight road victories.
Avoiding a skid
The Philadelphia 76ers come in having lost their last two games. After getting torched by the Brooklyn Nets for 20 points, they then got handed with their first home loss of the season by the Miami Heat, who edged them out, 109-104. Philly holds a 20-9 record and flips between the third and sixth spots in the East, along with three other teams.
The 76ers are more than equipped to deal with Kristaps Porzingis. Joel Embiid (22.7 PPG, 12.6 RPG) and the Philly frontcourt can hang with any bigs in the league size-wise, and they could be a problem for the Latvian’s thin frame.
Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons will look to continue being the solid second and third scorers for the Sixers. Harris is posting 23.4 PPG in his last nine while Simmons is at 20.3 PPG and 6.7 APG on 60.5%-shooting in his last three.
The Sixers are 14-1 at home this season and across those games, they only allow visitors to score 99.5 PPG.
PREDICTION:
The Sixers start slow but eventually fend-off the Mavs. They win 108-103.
Based on their last couple of games, the Mavs look like they would be great to cover that +8 spread.
