The Clippers beat the Mavericks soundly in Dallas about two months ago. They’ll look for a repeat performance on Tuesday, but with Paul George sidelined for Round 2, are the Clippers still a smart bet as slight road underdogs?
- Date/Time: January 21, 8:30 p.m. ET
- Arena: American Airlines Center
- TV Coverage: NBA TV, TSN4, Fox Sports Prime Ticket
- Sportsbook Odds: Mavericks -1.5 | O/U 229
- Clippers vs Mavericks Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Clippers are 4-1 in their recent stretch without Paul George and 8-3 in their last 11 road games, but Dallas opened as a 1.5-point home favorite with an expected boost to come from the return of forward Kristaps Porzingis.
Los Angeles News & Notes
Los Angeles has been without Paul George for the last five games due to a hamstring injury, but the Clippers haven’t missed a beat, winning four of those games following their 133-130 win over New Orleans on Saturday.
The reason why the Clippers have been full steam ahead, and why they enter Tuesday’s matchup against the Mavericks full of confidence, is because Kawhi Leonard has gone into megastar mode in George’s absence: Leonard is averaging 36 points per game over his last five contests while shooting 55.8 percent from the floor.
Leonard had 28 points and 12 rebounds in their previous meeting this season, a 114-99 victory also at Dallas, but George also participated in that game. Expect Kawhi to put up even bigger numbers with his sidekick out as the Clippers aim for their seventh win in their last 10 games against Dallas.
Dallas News & Notes
The Mavericks have won four straight games and five of their last seven contests, as Luka Doncic continues to play like an MVP candidate in his sophomore season. And Dallas is getting even stronger, with some big reinforcements coming — literally.
After missing 10 games with right knee soreness, seven-foot-three forward Kristaps Porzingis said that he expects to return to the lineup on Tuesday against the Clippers. While his status is still listed as questionable, he practiced fully on Sunday.
Porzingis is averaging 17.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game this season and provides a lethal secondary scoring option for a Mavericks club that is no stranger to high-scoring games recently. The total has gone OVER in five of their last seven home games and in six of their last nine games overall.
While four of Dallas’ last five home games against the Clippers have seen the total go UNDER, Los Angeles has also played to the OVER a lot recently, so don’t automatically assume history will repeat itself.
Betting Pick: Clippers +1.5
When Kawhi goes into beast mode, I’m not sure anyone can stop him. And that’s exactly how he’s playing right now, which doesn’t bode well for Dallas — but is great for the Clippers to cover.
- Los Angeles is 8-3 SU in its last 11 road games.
- Dallas is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games vs the West.
- Los Angeles is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games.
