Betting On NBA: Mavericks vs Clippers Odds, Game 5

When an NBA playoff series is tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 usually wins said series. The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers are in that scenario on Wednesday night when they meet in Los Angeles with the Mavs as short favorites on the NBA odds as LA is expected to again be without Kawhi Leonard.

Without a doubt this is a great NBA game worth betting on, so see below for my analysis of the teams in this decisive game.

Expert Pick Mavericks -3 (total 208.5)

Dallas Mavericks Odds -149

Really little excuse for the Mavericks to have lost Game 4 at home on Sunday, 116-111, considering Los Angeles was without All-Star Kawhi Leonard after he had played the previous two games — both Dallas wins. That just doesn’t make sense.

The Mavericks outscored the Clippers 87-61 in the game’s final 28 minutes Sunday. But when they had chances to complete the comeback, it was the Clippers who came up with key plays.

Doncic has posted a triple-double in two straight games, scoring north of 20 points in all four postseason outings. Doncic and the Mavericks found themselves in an incredibly deep hole, trailing by as much as 31 during the first half. While they rallied to take the lead at one point during the fourth quarter, the Mavericks could not hold on.

Doncic led the NBA in scoring in the regular season at a shade under 34 points per game. His scoring in the four playoff games is down slightly (29 per game). But it’s his shooting (39-for-101) that has been concerning. Luka has been dealing with some knee soreness and also a head cold in Game 4.

When asked if any sickness was hindering his energy or his play, he said: “It’s nothing. We lost the game. For the knee, it shouldn’t be an excuse. I’m out there trying to play, trying to play a lot of minutes. Sometimes you don’t have a perfect situation. I just got to do better.”

Kyrie Irving accounted for 40 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the loss. The Mavs don’t make it a game without Irving’ brilliance. He shot 9-of-17 from the field after halftime, finishing with his first 40-point playoff game since Game 4 of the 2017 NBA Finals as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The lone negative for Irving was the turnover count, as he racked up seven.

Since going scoreless in Game 1, Jones Mode has made at least 50% of his shots in three consecutive games. While the 2-of-3 from beyond the arc in Game 4 was a departure from the norm for Jones, it was an encouraging sight, as the Mavericks need others to step up in assistance of Doncic and Irving.

Los Angeles Clippers Odds +121

With Sunday’s upset victory, the Clippers are now 8-7 this season without star Kawhi Leonard, including huge regular season wins over Cleveland, Denver and Phoenix, in addition to the two pivotal puzzling victories in this series against the Mavs. From a schematic standpoint, Mavs guard Kyrie Irving said the Clippers have a different flow when Leonard is not on the court. He is not likely back in this series or maybe even the playoffs due to a knee injury.

Leonard, who gutted out 25 minutes but did not look like his normal self in a Game 3 loss Friday, will not return to action until he is able to show that he can move the way he needs to, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said. The Clippers, who won Game 1 without Leonard, started Amir Coffey in Leonard’s place on Sunday.

Paul George stepped up big without Kawhi on Sunday, finishing with 33 points on 11-for-19 shooting (7-for-10 from deep), eight assists and six rebounds in 43 minutes. George’s point and assist totals were his highest of the series thus far, and he’s tallied at least 20 points in three straight games.

James Harden had 33 points, seven assists and six rebounds and was great in the fourth quarter. He made 6 of 8 shots in the quarter, five coming on floaters in the paint after he found a sweet spot in the Dallas defense. Harden had made just one floater in the series prior to Game 4 and shot 28.1% on 39 floaters attempted in the regular season. Dallas coach Jason Kidd said that his team’s defensive focus in the second half was to run Harden and George off the 3-point line and to settle for living with two-point shots.