Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Clippers Pick

NBA Picks

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NBA – January 9th

The Dallas Mavericks are one of the biggest disappointments of the NBA season thus far. Dallas sits at just 13-22 on the year. They have lost nine of their last ten games. On the other side, the Los Angeles Clippers have the best record in the league. It seems like the Clippers are ready to take that next step and be a true contender in the playoffs this year.

Game Overview:

Dirk Nowitzki is slowly being worked back into the lineup for Dallas, but it hasn’t helped the team yet. Nowitzki is obviously a difference maker, but he doesn’t look particularly healthy right now. He has played more than 30 minutes in the past two games, so it appears the team is trying to start stretching out his time a little bit. The Mavericks haven’t gotten the kind of contribution they expected out of Elton Brand in the post this year. Dallas is one of the worst rebounding teams in the league. The Mavericks constantly give up second chance layups to their opponents.

O.J. Mayo has been a major bright spot for the Mavericks this season. After being shuffled out of the lineup in Memphis, he has starred with Dallas this year. Mayo is averaging 18.3 points per game (he averaged 12.6 last season). Darren Collison has done a solid job taking over the point guard spot as well. The biggest problem for Dallas has been their lack of defense. The Mavericks are allowing 103.1 points per game this year, which is the third worst mark in the NBA.

The Clippers had a bit of turbulent season last year, but they showed they were capable of big things. It appears they are finally putting it all together this season. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are still doing a great job, but the rest of the talent around them has really stepped up this year. You could make a good argument that Jamal Crawford has been the biggest offseason pickup in the NBA so far this season. Crawford is averaging 16.5 points per game, and he has taken a lot of weight off the shoulders of Griffin and Paul. His scoring has been just what the doctor ordered for this team.

Los Angeles is one of the deepest teams in the NBA. The Clippers have seven guys averaging 8.7 points per game or more, and all of them are capable of taking over the game at any point. Defensively, the Clippers have taken a major step forward this year. Opponents are averaging only 93.1 points per game against them. DeAndre Jordan changes a lot of shots in the paint, and Griffin has improved on this end of the floor as well. Overall, the Clippers are just a well-balanced team.

Free Pick: Mavericks +10.5