Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Dallas Mavericks vs Oklahoma City Thunder Game 2: Western Conference Playoffs – Second round

The Dallas Mavericks are hoping to tie the series when they visit the Oklahoma City Thunder in Paycom Center on Thursday.

The Mavericks are again on a rough start

The Dallas Mavericks were blown out in the first game of the opening playoff round against the Los Angeles Clippers, and the same happened in the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. They simply broke down in the final quarter and ended up losing by 23 points. Kyrie Irving scored 20 points, and Luka Doncic added 19 but made only one of eight three-point attempts.

Are the Thunder a real contender?

The Oklahoma City Thunder finished the regular season at the top of the Western Conference, becoming the youngest team to ever do that. They do not plan to stop there, as the Thunder made a statement with a 117-95 Game 1 win in the series against the Dallas Mavericks. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points, and Chet Holmgren added 19.

Betting Trends

Oklahoma City has covered the spread in 9 of the last 11 games against Dallas. The Thunder are 8-1 ATS in the last 8 games overall and 2-4 ATS in the last 6 games played in May. They have won the last 10 games overall and the last 8 home games. The Mavericks are 4-2 ATS in the last 6 games overall and 5-2 ATS in the last 7 games against teams from the Northwest Division. Dallas has won 4 of the last 6 games overall and 13 of the last 18 against teams from the Eastern Conference.

Prediction and Conclusion

The Oklahoma City Thunder came into Game 1 much better prepared, and that was obvious, especially late in the game. The Clippers came into this game only two days after closing out the series against the Clippers, while the Thunder had five days off. The Mavs were much more competitive than the final score shows. Lu Dort and Jalen Williams were able to slow down Luka Jokic, but if you look for someone who has done those two games in a row, you won’t find anyone. So Doncic will bounce back and have one of those nights, which will be enough for the Mavs to cover the +5.5-point spread.