The NBA season continues with the group stage of the NBA Cup as the Golden State Warriors host the Dallas Mavericks in a clash between two of the top teams on Tuesday night.
The Warriors have had a fantastic start to the season so far, going 8-2 with star man Steph Curry shining once again while the Mavericks have so far gone 5-5 in a mixed start with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving being let down by the defense.
We’ll take a look at the clash between the two sides and provide you with our best free NBA betting picks to try and earn you some extra cash while you enjoy the action on the court.
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After another post-season of minimal action in the draft and in the trade market, the Warriors have fantastically started their campaign.
A huge 140-104 win on the opening day against the Portland Trailblazers started things off well as Buddy Hield hit 22 points, before he followed that up with a 27-point performance in the 127-86 win against Utah Jazz that came next.
The team suffered their first defeat of the season against the LA Clippers in their next game, but then went on a fantastic five-game winning streak. Hield once again top-scored with 28 and 21 points against the New Orleans Pelicans in back-to-back games, before he hit 27 points in a 127-121 overtime win against the Houston Rockets.
Curry has since stepped up into his usual top-scorer form as he hit 24 points in the 125-112 win over the Washington Wizards, and then he hit 27 points in a 118-112 win against the reigning champions Boston Celtics.
Cleveland Cavaliers snapped that win streak with a 136-117 win, before Curry got the team back to winning ways last time out with a fantastic 36-point haul in a 127-116 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in their last game to move to 8-2.
Dallas added to their offensive ranks with the addition of Klay Thompson in the off-season to go alongside Doncic and Irving, and they have yet to find the perfect balance to the team.
The opening game of the season saw the team earn a 120-109 win over the San Antonio Spurs, with Doncic scoring 28 points with Thompson hitting 22 himself. Game 2 saw the team fall to a 114-102 defeat to the Phoenix Suns as Doncic hit 40 points, before back-to-back wins over Utah and Minnesota Timberwolves with Irving top-scoring with 23 and 35 points in each game.
A 102-108 defeat to Houston followed next, before Doncic hit 32 points and seven assists in the next game to beat Orlando Magic. Since then though, Dallas have lost three of their next four despite some huge individual performances from their top stars.
Doncic hit 34 points and 15 assists in a 127-134 loss to the Indiana Fever, before the team claimed a win against the Chicago Bulls with the Slovenian hitting 27 points and 13 assists. The Mavericks will be coming into this game on the back of two straight defeats against Phoenix and Denver Nuggets.
The clash against Denver saw Irving top score with a huge 43 points, while Doncic chipped in with 24 points, nine rebounds and nine assists despite the loss.
It’s very interesting to see how close the odds are in this game considering the differing form of the two teams.
The Warriors are scoring a lot of points, winning games with strong performances and currently have a 4-1 win record as underdogs this season. Golden State are considered to be two-point favorites, and the Warriors have a 7-2 record against the spread at this point too.
Curry has been performing admirably well but what has been more impressive is the form of his supporting cast. Kevon Looney is registering 8.2 rebounds per game to with Curry’s impressive numbers of 22 points per game and 6.3 assists per game. Hield is also flying with an average of 18 points per game despite just one start, while Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green are doing what they always do.
Considering form and defensive performance, back the Warriors to get another win as the favorite with a more than great value price.
Check out our review for BetOnline sports betting here.
The points total seems relatively high considering the results both teams have seen this season in their games, but the quality on show means there is every chance they pick up form and find buckets.
So far in Warriors games this season the 231 points total has been hit in five of their ten fixtures, while it has been hit just there times in ten games for the Mavericks.
Combined the teams are averaging 217 points against this season, but with the way Doncic, Curry and Irving are scoring currently and with Thompson returning to his former team with a point to prove, expect that to be surpassed and take the overs.
Check out our review for Bovada sports betting here.
About the Author
Daniel is a football writer who has a great thirst for the Premier League and other major European leagues. A lover of the beautiful game and a firm believer that the eye test is better than statistics. Also an avid MMA fan.
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