The NBA returns for more action this week as the in-form Dallas Mavericks make the trip to face off against Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.
The Thunder have accumulated a fantastic 18-5 record so far this season and come into this game on a three-game winning streak, while the Mavs have put together a 16-8 record with their current seven-game winning streak.
We’ll take a look at this big match up in the West and provide you with our best free NBA betting picks to try and earn you some extra cash while you take in the action on the court.
Learn more about how to bet on the NBA here.
Oklahoma had a picture perfect start to their NBA season when they opened the season with a fantastic 7-0 run, with victories over the Denver Nuggets, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs, Portland Timbers, LA Clippers and Orlando Magic.
That run was ended in a rematch with Denver before defeat to the Golden State Warriors shortly after, but the team returned to winning ways with a three-game streak over the Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns. They then faced the Mavericks for the first time this season and were beaten, despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hitting 36 points and eight assists.
The Thunder ended the month with four straight wins as Gilgeous-Alexander top-scored with 37, 35 and 36 points in wins over the Sacramento Kings, Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers respectively.
December began with defeat to the Houston Rockets, but they have since earned three dominant wins over Utah, Toronto Raptors and New Orleans to come into this game full of confidence and seeking revenge for their earlier season defeat to Dallas.
Dallas added to their offensive ranks with the addition of Klay Thompson in the off-season to go alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, they are finally finding the perfect balance to make them contenders.
A rocky start saw the Mavs go 3-2 in their opening five games with Doncic and Irving doing their bit by top scoring in each game as wins over San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves were partnered by defeats to the Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets.
November was equally difficult although they came out on top with a 9-6 record, but changes were needed after the suffered a four-game losing run against the Suns, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors and Jazz. They bounced back following that with a four-game winning run against the Spurs, Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans and Nuggets before an overtime defeat to the Miami Heat.
But that defeat in overtime is the only thing stopping them from being on a sensational 12-game winning run as they have gone on to win each of their next seven games with Irving top scoring in three of those and Doncic in three of the others. The standout performance came in a 137-101 blowout of the Washington Wizards, and they come into this game full of confidence.
This is set to be a super entertaining game of NBA basketball and will be a real advert for the league, between two of the most in-form sides in the division.
The Mavericks come into this on a seven-game winning run and were just an overtime defeat away from a 12-game stretch, which includes a 121-119 win over the Thunder in that time. That means they have also won four of the last five meetings between the two sides, with all five games coming in this calendar year.
Dallas have lost eight times this season, but four of those defeats came by three points or less and the five-point advantage on the spread could really come in handy in this bet.
With the form of their back-court duo of Doncic and Irving, plus their winning record against the Thunder historically and their current hot streak this is a bet that makes too much sense to ignore.
Check out our review for BetOnline sports betting here.
Both teams are on fire right now offensively, and this points total seems low considering the game we are expecting to see.
Oklahoma are currently averaging an impressive 115.7 points scored per game this season, while defensively they are allowing 103.8 points per game. Dallas on the other hand are averaging 119.1 points scored per game and 111.5 allowed per game. Combined the numbers make for good reading to go with the Over.
Each of the last two meetings between the sides have seen the magic 227 total points number surpassed too and with the individual form of the stars on the court, this should hit again.
Check out our review for MyBookie 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.
Read Daniel's ProfileAsk Daniel about this guide:
