Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Dallas Mavericks Game 3: Western Conference Playoffs – Second round
The Dallas Mavericks are hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder at the American Airlines Center with the series being tied 1-1.
Are the Thunder a real contender?
The Oklahoma City Thunder finished the regular season at the top of the Western Conference, and after sweeping the New Orleans Pelicans, they are having a much bigger challenge in the second playoff round. They won Game 1 quite easily, but things did not go in their favor in the next one. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had an excellent game, recording 33 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists, but that wasn’t enough for the Thunder.
Is this the season for the Mavs?
The Dallas Mavericks had a rough start to the series but tied things up with a 119-110 Game 2 victory. PJ Washington was the key player for the Mavs, shooting 7 of 11 from deep for a total of 29 points. Luka Doncic added 27 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists while Kyrie Irving scored only 9.
Betting Trends
The Thunder have won five of the last seven games against the Mavericks. They are 10-1 SU in the last 11 games overall, 9-1 SU in the last 10 games against teams from the Western Conference, and 7-1 SU in the last 8 games against teams from the Southwest Division. OKC has covered the spread in 8 of their last 10 games overall, 9 of the last 12 games against the Mavericks, and is 2-5 ATS in the last 7 games on the road and 2-6 ATS in the last 8 games played in May. Dallas is 5-2 SU in their last 7 games overall, 14-5 SU in the last 19 games against teams from the Western Conference, and 5-12 SU in the last 17 games played on Saturday. The Mavs have covered the spread in 5 of the last 7 games overall, 9 of their last 11 home games, and 4 of the last 6 games played in May.
Prediction and Conclusion
We have seen two completely different games so far in the series. The Thunder had control of the opening one and built a large lead late in the game. The Mavs bounced back in Game 2 despite Luka Doncic getting hurt early in the game. Now the series moves to Dallas, and the Mavs are in the driving seat. Kyrie Erving scored only nine points in Game 2, and with his experience and quality, he will definitely have a bigger role in this one. The Mavs look ready to take over the series, and this is their chance to do so. They will take control early in the game and take a 2-1 series lead.
