Getty Kristaps Porzingis, Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are 1.5-point favorites over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night at American Airlines Center.
Los Angeles (30-13) will be without Paul George who continues to be sidelined with a hamstring injury. The Clippers have won three straight and four of their last five without George in the lineup. Kawhi Leonard went off for 39 points on 15-of-28 shooting in the 133-130 win over New Orleans on Saturday. The Clippers outscored the Pelicans 31-20 in the fourth quarter. Despite the win, Los Angeles is just 2-5 ATS over their last seven games.
Dallas (27-15) should be getting back Kristaps Porzingis, who has missed the last 10 games with a right knee injury. The Mavericks are 6-4 in his absence and have won four straight games after a 120-112 victory over Portland on Friday. Luka Doncic scored 35 points and buried a career-high eight triples in the victory. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 29 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Dallas is 7-3 in the 10 games this season where Hardaway Jr. has scored at least 20 points.
ESPN’s FPI gives Los Angeles a 61.0% chance of winning this game. We break down the line and offer our best bets and analysis for Friday’s matchup between the Clippers and Mavericks.
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Clippers vs. Mavericks Game Details
Date: Tuesday, January 21
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Location: American Airlines Center (Dallas, Texas)
TV: NBATV, FS Prime Ticket, FS Southwest
Spread: Mavericks -1.5
Total: 232.5
*All lines, odds & trends courtesy of FanDuel, Covers, & The Action Network
Key Injuries
- SF Paul George (hamstring) out
- SF Maurice Harkless (back) probable
- PF Kristaps Porzingis (knee) questionable
Betting Trends
- Clippers are 30-13 SU and 23-20 ATS this season
- Mavericks are 27-15 SU and 22-18-2 ATS this season
- Over 21-21-1 in Clippers games this season
- Over is 26-16 in Mavericks games this season
Analysis & Pick
This is a tough matchup for the Clippers. The Mavericks are red hot and are getting back on of their key players in Kristaps Porzingis, who is having a strong season for Dallas when healthy.
The Clips are also riding a winning streak, but have had trouble covering of this stretch going just 2-5 ATS over their last seven games. The Mavericks also have one extra day of rest and are 7-4 ATS this season when having the rest advantage of their opponent.
Porzingis is averaging 17.3 points and 9.3 rebounds this season. Back in December, Porzingis recorded four-straight games of 20-plus points and 10-plus rebounds earlier this season, the longest such stretch of his career. Considering it was only a 10-game absence with the knee injury, I don’t think it will take KP to get re-acclimated to the lineup.
The Clippers have already beaten the Mavericks this season in Dallas, winning 114-99 back on November November 26. Doncic scored 22 points in the game but missed all eight of his 3-point attempts. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard combined for 54 points in the victory. Doncic should shoot it better this time around and no George is a huge matchup difference for the Dallas defense. Take the home team.
PICK: Mavericks -1.5
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