Bulls vs Mavs in NBA Betting Action

Chicago has lost seven in a row, but thanks to a similar losing streak from the Toronto Raptors, find themselves just one game back of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern conference. Dallas, the third placed team in the west, have no such worries about making the postseason dance.

Chicago Bulls @ Dallas Mavericks
Wednesday March 17th – 8:30 PM ET
American Airlines Arena, Dallas
Broadcast: KTXA
: Dallas -14

The Week That Was: Bulls

The only reason that the ninth place Bulls are still in the hunt for a playoff spot is because the team in eighth, the Toronto Raptors, have been just as bad lately. Chicago has lost eight in a row, but since the Raptors have dropped five straight, remain just one game back in the East. The latest loss came Tuesday night in Memphis, a 104-97 decision in which the Bulls were again without four key players. Leading scorer Derrick Rose rested with a sprained wrist, Luol Deng didn’t play because of a strained calf, and Joakim Noah, who has been the team’s best player in the post, continued to rest with a plantar fasciitis problem and Kirk Hinrich did not play because he was suspended by the NBA after getting two technical fouls on Saturday. The loss to Memphis was the closest of Chicago’s losses during the current skid that included consecutive defeats on a road trip through the state of Miami against the Magic and the Heat, which are also fighting for a playoff spot.

The Week That Was: Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks continued to climb through the Western conference standings before their winning streak came to a shocking half in a 128-94 loss to the Knicks Saturday night. The Mavericks had won 13 straight before being upset in a double-digit loss to a non-playoff team on home court. That streak included wins over both teams that played in last year’s NBA Finals, a 95-85 victory at Orlando, and a 101-96 win over the NBA champions Lakers at home. Dallas trailed through every quarter of the loss to New York, three nights after it topped New Jersey 96-87. The loss puts the Mavericks just one half game back of Denver for the second spot in the west, and four games back of the first place Lakers. Four of Dallas’ five starters have averaged over 10 points a game this season, led by Dirk Nowitzki’s 25.0 mark. Starting center Brendan Haywood has averaged 9.6.

Outlook & Pick:

The Bulls have struggled through the month of March, only remaining in playoff contention due to the poor play of the eighth-place Raptors. They will have a tough task attempting to snap their eight-game losing streak without four key players on the road against a Mavericks team eager to get back in the win column after having a 13-game streak snapped in just their 10th loss at home this season. Dallas is just a half-game back of Denver for second spot in the west, 4.5 back of the first place Lakers, and every game will be important down the stretch as they try to secure home court advantage throughout the conference playoffs.