NBA Betting – Warriors’ Win Streak on the Line against Dallas

Golden State Warriors at Dallas Mavericks (-1, 214.5 o/u)

The Dallas Mavericks (17-7) are keeping pace with the other heavyweights in the Southwest Division.  However, tonight, the best team in the NBA comes to town, as the Mavs host the Golden State Warriors (19-2) at the American Airlines Center (2:00 p.m. Eastern).

To say that Golden State is playing well would be an egregious understatement.  Since losing back-to-back games to the Suns and Spurs in early November, the Warriors have won 14 straight – despite an injury to David Lee (18.2 PPG, 9.3 RPG last season).  Last Wednesday, they faced a stern test from another top Southwest Division team, the Houston Rockets, but dispatched James Harden and company 105-93.

The Rockets hung in there for the better part of the game, but the Warriors surged late, scoring 32 in the final frame and covering as 10.5-point favorites.

Guards Steph Curry and Klay Thompson picked up where they left off last year.  The “Splash Brothers” average 23 and 21.2 PPG, respectively to lead Golden State in scoring.  Curry is also distributing well this year, averaging 7.7 APG.  The addition of seven-footer Andrew Bogut has helped ease the temporary loss of Lee.  The Australian isn’t lighting it up on offense, but is averaging over nine rebounds and two blocks per game.

Bogut’s presence inside has helped the Warriors improve from a middle-of-the-pack defensive team last year to sixth in the league this season.  (Insanely long and athletic wings Harrison Barnes, Shaun Livingston, and Draymond Green have also helped in that department.)

Bogut is battling a knee injury at the moment, and is likely to miss tonight’s game.  If Bogut can’t go, the Warriors will inevitably suffer defensively.  However, the Warriors’ offense is still the biggest problem for opposing teams, and it should be at nearly full strength against the Mavs.

Curry and company are averaging 106.8 PPG, fourth in the league.  Ball movement has been key for Golden State; the Warriors average over 25 assists per game (second in the NBA).

“We are all playing together, first at the season we knew that, we have a lot of talent we are just sharing the ball, putting the talent together and having fun,” said Barnes after the win over Houston. “We are not paying attention to the record; we just go out and play.”

On the other side of the floor, the Dallas Mavericks have won four of their six games in December, keeping pace with Memphis, San Antonio, and Houston at the top of the division.

The Mavs also boast a tremendous offense, averaging a league best 110.5 PPG, and they have a number of players who can carry the load on any given night. (Former Warrior Monta Ellis, Dirk Nowitzki, and Chandler Parsons all average over 16 points per game.)  However, unlike the Warriors, Dallas is a one trick pony that struggles at the defensive end.  The Mavericks allow 103.2 PPG, which is 24th in the 30-team league.

Neither team has played since Wednesday and both should be well-rested for tonight’s game.  Eventually, Golden State’s winning streak is going to come to an end.  But with Barnes, Livingston, and Green containing the Mavs deadly shooters, don’t expect it to be tonight.  The loss of Bogut has the Warriors sitting as one-point dogs, and there could be value in taking the red-hot Warriors.

(Photo credit: Matthew Addie [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Photo has been cropped.)