Filip Tomic
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Tuesday brings us the first batch of Emirates NBA Cup elimination games and our attention is on the Dallas Mavericks taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder. Tip-off is set for 7:30 pm ET on TNT, and I’ve spiced things up a bit with a Mavericks vs Thunder Same Game Parlay at +436 odds. Let’s dive in, while you can also find out our NBA picks for both of tonight’s NBA Cup quarterfinal games.
Mavericks +4.5 (-114)
Luka Doncic to score 25+ points (-200)
Klay Thompson 3+ made threes (-135)
Isaiah Hartenstein to record 10+ rebounds (-250)
Mavericks vs Thunder Same Game Parlay odds: +436
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Dallas Mavericks +4.5 over Oklahoma City Thunder (-114)
Timing is everything in the NBA and this game could not come at a better time for the Dallas Mavericks. The big 3 of Luka Doncic, Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving is finally healthy and putting up big numbers, as the Mavs just won their 7th game in a row over the Raptors. They’re also playing the team they eliminated in last year’s Western Conference semifinals, and the mental edge gained in that series shouldn’t be underestimated here. Dallas also won the first meeting of the season 121-119 some 3 weeks ago, despite not having Doncic in that game. It was their 5th win in 6 meetings while they’ve also covered the spread in 4 of 6 visits to Oklahoma City.
Meanwhile, the Thunder have put together a 3-game win streak of their own and are playing really well right now. Getting Alex Caruso back from injury is huge for them, but until they get Chet Holmgren back this is just a bad matchup for them. Let’s go with the Mavs and the extra points for additional security here.
Read our full Dallas Mavericks vs Oklahoma City Thunder prediction
Luka Doncic to score 25+ points (-200)
The decision to take 10 days off towards the end of November and heal an injured fist has done wonders for Doncic. He looks visibly slimmer and is moving a lot better compared to the first month of the season. In the 4 games played so far in December, Doncic is averaging 31 points per game and he’s scored at least 25 points in 11 of his last 14 games. OKC is one of his favorite opponents to play, as he eliminated them from last year’s postseason with back-to-back 29 and 31-point triple-doubles. Doncic just thrives in elimination games, and so far in his career he has played in 8 of them and is averaging 33.4 points per game. His lowest point total in those games was 28 against the Celtics in the NBA Finals.
Klay Thompson 3+ made threes (-135)
Experience should come into play here and nobody has more of it on this Mavericks roster than former Warrior Klay Thompson. He has slowly adjusted to life in his new surroundings and as the season has progressed he has only looked better. Over his last 6 games Klay is shooting the three-ball at 40% efficiency, and he just had one of his better games of the season against Toronto where he finished with 20 points scored and 3 threes made. It was his 3rd game in 4 outings where he’s knocked down 3 threes, so momentum is on his side going into tonight’s game. In his last 10 games against OKC, Thompson is making 4.2 threes per game on 43.3% efficiency, so he should be able to get at least 3 threes here.
Find out JutPicks’ best NBA player prop bets for tonight
Isaiah Hartenstein to record 10+ rebounds (-250)
Getting Isaiah Hartenstein back from injury has been a massive relief for the Thunder, who are still waiting on the return of Holmgren. Hartenstein has adapted to his new team instantly, averaging a solid double-double through the first 8 games with OKC. Only once in those 8 games has he failed to register 10 boards and that was against the Utah Jazz when he played just 22 minutes in a blowout win for the Thunder. The Mavericks aren’t exactly known to be an elite rebounding team as they rank just 20th in opponent rebounds per game, allowing 52.7 a night. With the point total for tonight’s game being set at 231.5 points, it’s quite obvious that the oddsmakers are expecting a fast pace here, and if that is the case then everyone’s rebounding numbers should be inflated. Hartenstein should be able to get 10 of them with ease in this one.
