76ers vs Mavericks Odds, Spread and Picks

• The Dallas Mavericks travel to face the Philadelphia 76ers at 7pm ET on Friday, March 18th
• The Mavericks enter the game at 43-26 overall, while the 76ers come in at 42-26 on the year
• See below for the latest Mavericks vs 76ers odds, analysis and the best bet

A battle between two teams already in the postseason in their respective conferences will tip off on Friday, March 18th when the Dallas Mavericks travel to take on the Philadelphia 76ers at 7pm ET in Philadelphia.

The Mavericks enter the game at 43-26 on the year and are one of the hottest teams in the West with a record of 8-2 in their last 10 games. Dallas and the Utah Jazz are currently tied for the fourth seed in the conference standings.

The 76ers come in at 42-26 overall and have also been playing well to jump up in the East standings. Philadelphia holds a record of 7-3 over its last 10 games to sit in the third seed, just three games back of the top spot in the conference.

Mavericks vs 76ers Odds

Odds as of March 17th from FanDuel

Going into the game, the 76ers are three-point favorites over the Mavericks.

Mavericks Riding Back-to-Back Late-Second Wins

Against Philadelphia, Dallas will continue a stretch of road games against East opponents while already carrying an impressive record of 20-14 away from home this season.

The Mavericks are riding high off of two straight late-game wins thanks to last-second shots from Spencer Dinwiddie. Dinwiddie hit a game-winner with nine seconds left in a 95-92 win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday and followed it up with a buzzer-beater against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday to claim a 113-111 victory.

SPENCER DINWIDDIE AT THE BUZZER IN BROOKLYN‼️ pic.twitter.com/gkS5bQopeH

— ESPN (@espn) March 17, 2022

Dinwiddie has been a nice addition to the Mavericks since being acquired on Feb. 10th, averaging 17.9 points, 4.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 12 games in Dallas. The veteran guard will continue to be a key piece to his new team moving forward, and certainly has stepped up as of late.

Spencer Dinwiddie

Last 10 games with Wizards:
— 8.3 PPG
— 26.6 FG%
— 25.0 3P%

Last 10 games with Mavs:
— 20.3 PPG
— 50.0 FG%
— 45.3 3P%
— Back-to-back game winners pic.twitter.com/CEpR21YPSA

— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 17, 2022

76ers Duo Living Up to Expectations

When Philadelphia traded for James Harden before the trade deadline, it hoped to see the duo of him and Joel Embiid evolve into one of the more dynamic pairings in the NBA. That has certainly been the case as of late, with the duo living up to expectations to lead the 76ers.

Both Embiid and Harden have both turned their games up a notch since Harden first took the floor for Philadelphia on Feb. 25th. Over that nine-game span, Embiid is averaging 31.3 points, 12.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists, while Harden has tallied 22.8 points, 10.6 assists and 6.8 rebounds. The latest example of that dominance came on Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, with Embiid going off for 35 points and 17 rebounds and Harden adding 21 points and 11 assists in a 118-114 victory.

The 76ers will go as far as Embiid and Harden take them. They have and will continue to be put to the test, and Friday’s game against the Mavericks is the next test on the list.

Battle of Top Scorers, MVP Candidates

Friday’s game will feature two of the top scorers in the NBA, that being Philadelphia’s Embiid and Dallas’ Luka Doncic. Both have put up MVP-caliber seasons thus far, making this a back-and-forth one worth watching to see who will lead his team to victory.

B/R's Top 10 NBA MVP Rankings:

1. Nikola Jokic
2. Joel Embiid
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo
4. Stephen Curry
T-5th Ja Morant & Luka Doncic
7. DeMar DeRozan
8. Devin Booker
9. Trae Young
10. Jayson Tatum

Who's your MVP? 👀

(via @danfavale) pic.twitter.com/Xyv2MMvxa2

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 16, 2022

Embiid enters the game leading the league with 29.9 points per game to go along with 11.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.4 blocks and one steal. Doncic ranks fourth in the NBA in scoring with 28.2 points a contest, adding 9.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 1.2 steals.

Best Bet

Both Philadelphia and Dallas are playing some of their best basketball right now, featuring some star power that should make for a fun battle on Friday night. Both teams have emerged as teams who could make a deep run in the playoffs, although it’s probably premature to call this a potential NBA Finals preview.

With that said, expect the 76ers to step up at home on Friday and even the two-game season series with the Mavericks. For the best bet of the night, go with the under on the total of 222 points listed. Dallas is allowing just 103.7 points to opponents (best in NBA) while Philadelphia is giving up 106.8 (seventh-best), meaning this could be a low-scoring contest.

• The Pick: Under 222 (-110)