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Mavericks to Prove Series Lead No Fluke

Did Anyone See this Coming?

It has gone pear shaped for the Los Angeles Clippers, who are trying to avoid an 0-3 hole against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday.

We expected Dallas to come out of the series on top, but we didn’t think it would be so one-sided. However, the Mavericks still have two more games to win, and they can’t count their chickens just yet.

Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks passes away from Kawhi Leonard and Paul George
Harry How/Getty Images/AFP

Playing at home will help their chances and knowing they can beat Los Angeles in two games at STAPLES Center has given them ultimate confidence.

Still, the online sportsbook has the Clippers as favorites.

Clippers Playoff Woes Continue

It was meant to be an all-or-nothing year for the Clippers, and at the moment, it’s the latter.

Despite having Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the roster for the second consecutive year, the Clippers are cursed come playoff time. There is blame being pointed towards coach Tyronn Lue, but the players must accept the blame.

Lue hasn’t performed well under pressure in the past, but that’s no excuse for his team losing consecutive home games to the Dallas Mavericks.

Paul George isn’t panicking about being winless through two games.

“There is none,” George told ESPN when asked what the team’s level of concern is after losing the first two games at home. “It’s a competition. We got to rise to the occasion. The fact of the matter is if we don’t, we’re done for. There is no level of concern.

“We just got to play our game, we got to play through this. We got to incorporate our defense. Luka is going to get his touches. We just got to do a better job defensively of quieting everyone else.”

We don’t quite believe the All-Star as the lingering doubts will be there. The Clippers are notorious chokers come playoff time, and it appears as though Dallas is playing freely without expectations.

Mavericks Dominating Clips

The Mavericks won two of the three regular season matchups and they have picked up where they left off in the playoffs.

We expected the talented duo of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis to catch fire and we haven’t been disappointed. Doncic comes off a 39-point performance in the 127-121 win and Porzingis chimed in with 20 points.

The biggest difference was Tim Hardaway Jr scoring 28 points. If he can score big numbers, we don’t see Dallas losing Game Three or the series.

The bench didn’t provide much offensive power, but the starters were top notch. Only Dorian Finney-Smith had an off game, but the rest were electric. Even Maxi Kleber scored 13 points on 5-6 shooting, including two three pointers.

Porzingis played only 32 minutes but Willie Cauley-Stein came in and scored a perfect three-from-three.

Having won four of five against the Clippers is a fine effort and we’re surprised NBA betting markets have the Mavs as underdogs. They deserve to be favorites against a team not playing its best basketball.

If Dallas can shoot at 58.5% and 52.9% from the three-point line, there will be no stopping it.

The Clippers are 1-4 against the spread in the last five meetings, but they are 6-2 ATS in the last meetings in Dallas.

They are 5-1 in their last six games when allowing 125 points in the previous game. However, that’s where the positive betting trends end for the Clips.

They are 1-6 in their last seven games following a loss and 0-4 as a favorite. Adding to that, the Clippers are 0-5 ATS in their last five playoff games as a favorite, which is why we’re surprised at the bookmakers’ line.

Dallas is 4-0 in its last four as an underdog and 7-1 ATS in the last eight games vs a team with a winning record. It’s just 5-11 ATS in the last 16 playoff games as an underdog. However, two of those wins came in this series.

Under is 5-1 in the last six meetings, but the total went over in Game Two.

Clippers vs Mavericks Pick

It takes a lot of courage to back the Dallas Mavericks in three consecutive games, but they have all the momentum.

We expect the Clippers to turn up at some point, but it might not be enough to get the win. Dallas is playing well and Doncic is leading the way.

He’s capable of outgunning Leonard or George, and although his supporting cast isn’t as experienced, they’re turning up for the All-Star.

We’ll happily take the +120 for the home team with a 2-0 lead.

Pick: Dallas Mavericks +120

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