Dallas Mavericks (47-29) at Cleveland Cavaliers (42-33)
The Mavericks start their 4 game road trip in Cleveland and will be on a back to back after thrashing the Lakers. Doncic scored 34 pts in basically 3 quarters as the Mavs easily won by 18 points, 128-110. However, they have lost their last 2 games on the road, including a 21 pt loss against the Timberwolves on Saturday.
Cleveland ended a 3 game losing streak with a 107-101 win over the Thunder on Tuesday. Darius Garland led the way with 25 pts and Markkanen added 20 pts. They'll be without Mobley and Allen for this matchup with Dallas so the likes of Garland will be important, especially against Doncic.
The Cavs have a good defence at home and Dallas might look to rest a few of their starters after travelling on a back to back. So we like the chances of a low scoring contest as the Under is 7-3 when these two teams meet in Cleveland. It's also 6-2 in the Mavs last 8 road games.
Stadium Record
The Cavs are 13-5 in their last 18 home games. The Mavs are 6-3 at this venue in their last 9.
Head to Head Record
Cleveland won the earlier season meeting 114-96 but the Mavs have won 7 of the last 10 meetings.
Best Bet
Miami Heat (48-28) at Boston Celtics (47-29)
The Heat come off a 23 pt win over the Kings as they finally ended a long losing streak. Jimmy Butler was the standout with 27 pts and Adebayo added 22. The victory saw the Heat return to the top of the East standings and this will be an important matchup against the 3rd seeded Celtics. They should get a few players back for this contest, including Robinson, Martin and Vincent.
Boston went down to the Raptors on Tuesday 115-112 in OT. However, they were missing Tatum, Brown and Williams. Robert Williams is out with a knee injury but Tatum/Brown should be back for this matchup. Boston has been excellent at home lately with an 8-2 record and they'll be looking to start this 3 game homestand with a statement win over the #1 seed.
We're expecting Tatum and Brown to suit up for Boston, which should see a fairly high scoring affair. Boston are 5-1 against the Over at home and their defence won't be the same without Williams. Meanwhile, Miami is 12-6 against the Over on the road and 5-1 at TD Garden.
Stadium Record
The Celtics are 6-1 in their last 7 at home. Miami has won 4 of their last 6 at TD Garden.
Head to Head Record
In the season series, the Celtics are 2-1 and beat the Heat by 30 pts in Boston in early February.
Best Bet
Phoenix Suns (61-14) at Golden State Warriors (48-28)
The Suns will seek an impressive 9th straight win as they head to San Franciso on Thursday. They've beaten the Nuggets and 76ers by 10 pts in back to back games. In their win over the 76ers on Monday, they rallied from a 15 pt deficit at one stage behind the likes of Booker and Paul. Devin Booker scored 35 pts and that followed 49 pts against Denver. So another 30+ pt outing looks on the agenda against the struggling Warriors.
Golden State are back on their home court and will look to end a 3 game losing streak. They were without a few starters against the Grizzlies on Tuesday as they went down by 28 pts. Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Otto Porter Jr. all missed the trip but will be back on the court against the Suns. While they have their last 2 against Phoenix, Steph Curry is missing this time around and it will likely be a lot of tougher.
The Warriors have really struggled without Curry and the Suns will likely pose a tough challenge. The Suns have covered in 5 of their last 6 road games and they'll likely have too many points in them through Booker and Paul.
Stadium Record
The Warriors are 5-5 in their last 10 home games. The Suns have a poor 2-17 record on the road against Golden State.
Head to Head Record
In the season series, the Warriors lead 2-1 and won the only meeting at home by 22 pts.
Best Bet
