PREMIUM
Rogers' Tuesday THROWDOWN >> $20 Tuesday! 17-8-1 L26 NBA!
(NBA) Washington vs. Dallas,
Point Spread: 1.00 | -110.00 Dallas (Home)
Result: Win
Point Spread: 1.00 | -110.00 Dallas (Home)
Result: Win
The set-up: The Dallas Mavericks are getting healthier and enter 2017 with hopes of a turnaround. The Mavs opened the season 6-20 but after splitting their last eight games, are just 4 1/2 games out of the final playoff spot in the West (note: the bad news is, five teams sit between them and the 8th-place Kings). The 16-17 Washington Wizards come to Dallas tonight, just percentage points out of the East's final playoff spot (Pacers and Bulls are 17-18).
Washington: The Wizards saw their three-game winning streak snapped Monday night with a 101-91 loss at Houston and failed to move above .500 for the first time this season. However, Bradley Beal did return after missing one game with a sprained ankle to score a team-high 27. John Wall added 18 points and 12 assists, after averaging 24.3 points, an NBA-leading 13 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 steals in three games last week. Wall (23.4-4.5-10.1) and Beal (22.0) make a great backcourt duo when healthy. Throw in a starting frontcourt of forwards Porter (14.1 & 6.7) and Morris (12.8 & 5.9) plus center Gortat (11.5 & 11.8) and the Wizards should not be below .500!
Dallas: "I felt like the last couple of weeks we've been playing .500 ball, which is OK," Dirk Nowitzki said about the team's recent 4-4 run. "It's a lot better than what we started off, and now we'll get more healthy and hopefully take another step. We've got to let it rip. We're all competitors, and Coach obviously is pushing us every day. The return of Nowitzki to the lineup is another reason for optimism. The league's sixth-leading career scorer has missed the majority of the season battling Achilles soreness, but Nowitzki has made the best of his limited court time lately. He has logged 70 minutes over his last four games and scored 45 points on 16-of-41 shooting (he's at 11.8 & 5.1 on the season in nine games). Dallas is considering moving veteran center Andrew Bogut (3.5 & 9.9) to the bench but any move is predicated on power forward Dirk Nowitzki being able to stay healthy. Barnes (20.4 & 5.5) has turned out to be an excellent addition and Matthews is having abetter second season (15.8 PPG) for Dallas, after leaving Portland.
The pick: The Wizards are a poor road team (3-11 SU & 5-9 ATS) and Dallas has beaten Washington in 11 of the past 12 meetings. Make Dallas an 8* play.
Washington: The Wizards saw their three-game winning streak snapped Monday night with a 101-91 loss at Houston and failed to move above .500 for the first time this season. However, Bradley Beal did return after missing one game with a sprained ankle to score a team-high 27. John Wall added 18 points and 12 assists, after averaging 24.3 points, an NBA-leading 13 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 steals in three games last week. Wall (23.4-4.5-10.1) and Beal (22.0) make a great backcourt duo when healthy. Throw in a starting frontcourt of forwards Porter (14.1 & 6.7) and Morris (12.8 & 5.9) plus center Gortat (11.5 & 11.8) and the Wizards should not be below .500!
Dallas: "I felt like the last couple of weeks we've been playing .500 ball, which is OK," Dirk Nowitzki said about the team's recent 4-4 run. "It's a lot better than what we started off, and now we'll get more healthy and hopefully take another step. We've got to let it rip. We're all competitors, and Coach obviously is pushing us every day. The return of Nowitzki to the lineup is another reason for optimism. The league's sixth-leading career scorer has missed the majority of the season battling Achilles soreness, but Nowitzki has made the best of his limited court time lately. He has logged 70 minutes over his last four games and scored 45 points on 16-of-41 shooting (he's at 11.8 & 5.1 on the season in nine games). Dallas is considering moving veteran center Andrew Bogut (3.5 & 9.9) to the bench but any move is predicated on power forward Dirk Nowitzki being able to stay healthy. Barnes (20.4 & 5.5) has turned out to be an excellent addition and Matthews is having abetter second season (15.8 PPG) for Dallas, after leaving Portland.
The pick: The Wizards are a poor road team (3-11 SU & 5-9 ATS) and Dallas has beaten Washington in 11 of the past 12 meetings. Make Dallas an 8* play.
