Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon Sport
Miami Heat vs Dallas Mavericks: Can Miami slow down Luka Doncic?
The Dallas Mavericks are hosting the Miami Heat on Thursday at American Airlines Center.
Miami is playing well lately
The Miami Heat are sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 35-26 record. They are playing very well lately, winning 7 of the last 8 games and coming off a 118-110 win over the Detroit Pistons. Miami is sixth in the league, allowing 109.9 points per game, and fourth with 81.9% shooting from the free-throw line. Jimmy Butler leads the Heat, averaging 21.9 points per game, followed by Tyler Herro, who has 20.8.
Dallas has a difficult week
The Dallas Mavericks are eighth in the Western Conference with a 34-28 record. After winning seven consecutive games, the Mavs have lost six of the last seven, including the last three. They are coming off a 137-120 loss to the Indiana Pacers, which was the fourth consecutive game for Luka Doncic to record a triple-double. The Slovenian leads the league in scoring with 34.6 points per game, and he also adds 9.8 assists and 9 rebounds. The Mavericks are sixth in the league, averaging 118.7 points per game, and are ranked third with 14.9 three-pointers made per game.
Betting Trends
The Mavericks have played under the total point line in 4 of the last 5 home games and 5 of the last 7 games as favorites. The Heat have played under the total point line in 11 of their last 15 games overall.
Prediction and Conclusion
Both Miami and Dallas are solid teams, but given their current position in the standings, they will have a long way to go to reach the playoffs. This is especially the case for the Mavs, who are in the play-in zone and are under pressure since they missed the postseason last year. Luka Doncic has been unstoppable the whole season, and is averaging a triple-double in the last six games. The Mavericks have played under the total point line in 4 of the last 5 home games, and knowing how great the Heat is as a defensive team, scoring will not come easy tonight. The total point line is set at 231.5, and this game will not come even close to that.
