The Mavericks effort to track down the red hot Spurs continues tonight as they welcome the Nuggets to the American Airlines Center. This evening’s Western Conference battle between Dallas and Denver is scheduled for an 8:30pm ET start in the Big D. The latest NBA Odds have the Mavericks listed as a -7 against the spread favorite; the Over/Under is set at 198.5 points.
In mid to late January it appeared as though Denver would be a threat to the Thunder’s Northwest title hopes as it won six straight from the 17th to the 27th to improve to 14-5 overall. But February brought dark days for the Nuggets as they opened the month on a 1-5 run. While it has recovered from that horrid stretch, George Karl’s squad now trails Oklahoma City by 5.5 games and it holds a two game edge on the third place Trail Blazers.
Denver comes into tonight’s game on the rebound after recording back-to-back wins over the Pacers and Suns, the latest of which came last night at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets, despite hitting just 4-of-14 from three point range and playing a fourth straight game without their leading scorer (Danilo Gallinari – ankle), turned in an amazing offensive performance against Phoenix.
Six Denver players scored in double figures, including reserves Al Harrington, Chris Andersen, and Rudy Fernandez, as the team connected on 40 of its 78 field goal attempts. Shooting guard Arron Afflalo led the Nuggets with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
Dallas, which split its first two meetings with the Nuggets this season, won its fourth straight game on Monday night to improve to 18-11 and stay two games back of the Spurs, who have reeled off eight consecutive wins. The Clippers served as the Mavs most recent victim as they fell 92-96 to Dallas at the American Airlines Center.
All five Dallas starters, with the exception of Jason Kidd, scored in double figures, but Dirk Nowitzki led the way with 22 points on 5-of-15 shooting. Nowitzki, who also grabbed seven rebounds, hit 11 of his game high 15 free throw attempts.
The Mavericks’ (11-5 at home) current win streak started with a 105-95 win at Denver. Nowitzki also starred in that game, notching 25 points, nine rebounds, and three assists. That victory snapped a four game Nuggets win streak in this rivalry series.
NBA Odds Betting Trend: Dallas is 1-9 against the spread (4-6 straight up) in its last 10 games with a spread between 4 and 7.5 and a total between 195 and 200.
Want to dominate the books this season with some of the best NBA Odds experts in the business? Sign up right now and get NBA Picks Free!
Denver Nuggets vs Dallas Mavericks 2012 NBA Odds: Provided by TopBet.com
Denver Nuggets +7 (-110), Over 198.5 (-110), +250 (Moneyline)
Dallas Mavericks -7 (-110), Under 198.5 (-110), -300 (Moneyline)
