Mavericks vs Nuggets odds - Can Dallas slow down the Denver juggernaut
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NBA odds are backing Denver after their dismantling of New Orleans in Round 1, but they’ll be facing a Dallas team that stormed into the postseason and then made short work of the San Antonio Spurs. Still, sportsbook players should consider the much-improved Nuggets in this series.
Here’s a look at the odds for this NBA playoff series:
- WHO: Mavericks vs Nuggets odds
- WHAT: Best-of-seven series, Western Conference semifinals
- WHEN: Game 1 is Sunday, May 3rd, 3:30 PM ET
- WHERE: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
- KEY STATS: Denver swept the season series 4-0
- PICK: Denver in six
The Mavericks ended their five-game series with the Spurs with an emphatic 106-93 win in San Antonio, as Dirk Nowitzki had 31 points. The Mavericks did their thing on defense, holding the Spurs to 90.4 points a game, and outside of Tony Parker, Dallas shut down the rest of the Spurs’ offense. Dallas ended the season by winning seven of their last 10, and that momentum carried them to their best playoff performance since reaching the Finals in 2006. The Mavericks got balanced scoring, and Josh Howard raised his game, but they’ll need more than 13.4 points from Jason Terry, the Sixth Man of the Year.
The Nuggets put the Hornets out of their misery with a 107-86 rout at home in Game 5, as Carmelo Anthony had a playoff career-high 34 points. The Nuggets won their four games by an average margin of 30.7 points, and lost their only game by a single bucket, and their 58-point annihilation of the Hornets in Game 4 is something that will be talked about for a long time. Anthony put up 24.0 points in the series, but the key was Chauncey Billups, who scored 36 in Game 1 and never looked back, averaging 22.4 points. Billups has made such a difference in Denver that you can’t quantify it, as he’s a player that knows how to win a championship.
Mavericks vs Nuggets odds should favor Denver, especially since they won all four meetings with Dallas this season. However, the Mavericks are brimming with confidence after taking out their rivals from San Antonio, and they won’t get shut out of this series. Billups and Jason Kidd at the point will be one to watch, while the Mavericks’ trio of Nene, Kenyon Martin and Chris Andersen will be all over Nowitzki, so Howard and Terry will need to be even better in this series. The Nuggets are too balanced, they’re playing hard on defense now, and Billups has given them the killer instinct needed to be successful at this time of year. Take Denver in a basketball betting win in six games.
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Craig Parsons is an avid sports fan, but his true love has always been basketball. Too short to realize his dream of playing in the NBA, he did the next best thing: sports betting and covering basketball for a living. Thoughts or questions? Email Comments@BetOnline.com.
