PREMIUM
GAME OF THE WEEK >> Rogers' 10* NBA! **EARLY**
(NBA) Dallas vs. Philadelphia,
Point Spread: 13.00 | -105.00 Dallas (Away)
Result: Win
Point Spread: 13.00 | -105.00 Dallas (Away)
Result: Win
The set-up: The Philadelphia 76ers held off the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday 132-130, moving one step closer to clinching the East's No. 3 seed (76ers are 49-30, a half-game up on the Cavs). Philadelphia nearly squandered a 30-point lead but held on Friday night to run their winning streak to 13 straight, the longest for the franchise since the 1984-85 team also won 13 in a row. The 76ers need one more win to clinch their first 50-win season since the 2000-01 squad led by Allen Iverson won 56 games and reached the NBA Finals. As for Dallas, after reaching the playoffs 15 times in a 16-year run (from 2001-16), the Mavs went just 33-49 last season and now get set to play their final road game of the current season with an even worse record, sitting at 24-56. Dallas has dropped he first two of the team's three-game trip at Orlando and Detroit, falling to 9-31 on the road this season.
Dallas: The Mavs have been competitive on this trip, with a five-point loss to the Magic and an overtime setback at the Pistons. The team's young players are seeing extra "PT" and are making the most of their expanded minutes. Rookie PF Johnathan Motley is getting an opportunity to start with future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki (ankle) done for the season and followed up 14 points in 41 minutes on Wednesday with his first career double-double with season highs of 26 points and 12 rebounds on Friday. J.J. Barea (11.6 & 6.3 APG) has also been shut down for the season and even small forward Dorian Finney-Smith has seen some action as of late. He was undrafted last year but signed with the Mavs and played in 81 games last season (4.3 & 3.4). He has been hurt for most of this year but he had 14 & 6 against the Magic and 15 & 10 against the Pistons. Harrison Barnes leads the team in scoring (18.8) and rebounding (6.1) plus rookie guard Dennis Smith Jr. (15.1 & 5.1 APG) has been one of the NBA's top 'freshman' all season.
Philaderlphia: Many felt the the 76ers would fall off after Embiid (22.9 & 11.0) ) was sidelined with an orbital fracture but they have continued to win, going 5-0 in the games he's missed so far. Embiid won't return until sometime during the postseason. No player came up bigger than rookie PG Ben Simmons against the Cavs, as he scored 27 points on 12-of-17 shooting, added 15 rebounds, 13 assists and four steals in Friday's win. He's third on the etam in scoring at 16.0 PPG, while adding 8.2 RPG and APG. SG Redick checks in with 16.9 PPG, PF Saric at 14.8 & 6.8 and SF Covington at 12.8 & 5.4. Additions like Belinelli (13.3 PPG in 25 games) and Ilysova (10.4 & 6.5 in 20 games) have been huge plus last year's overall No. 1 pick (Fultz) has averaged 7.3 & 4.3 APG in his seven games back on the court.
The pick: Philly had not yet gotten its act together when these two met back on Nov. 28, a game in which the Sixers held on for a 112-110 win after blowing most of their double-digit 4th-quarter lead. The team Dallas faces now is a well-oiled 'machine,' even without Embiid. However, this is a YUGE number and while the Mavs are averaging just 102.4 PPG (28th) on the season, they have averaged 107.0 PPG over their last three, despite missing Dirk and Barea. Dallas may be just 9-31 on the road but the Mavs are 20-19-1 ATS away from home. Also, Philly may just have a bit of a letdown after the team's dramatic 132-130 win over the Cavs. Take the points and make Dallas a 10* play.
Dallas: The Mavs have been competitive on this trip, with a five-point loss to the Magic and an overtime setback at the Pistons. The team's young players are seeing extra "PT" and are making the most of their expanded minutes. Rookie PF Johnathan Motley is getting an opportunity to start with future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki (ankle) done for the season and followed up 14 points in 41 minutes on Wednesday with his first career double-double with season highs of 26 points and 12 rebounds on Friday. J.J. Barea (11.6 & 6.3 APG) has also been shut down for the season and even small forward Dorian Finney-Smith has seen some action as of late. He was undrafted last year but signed with the Mavs and played in 81 games last season (4.3 & 3.4). He has been hurt for most of this year but he had 14 & 6 against the Magic and 15 & 10 against the Pistons. Harrison Barnes leads the team in scoring (18.8) and rebounding (6.1) plus rookie guard Dennis Smith Jr. (15.1 & 5.1 APG) has been one of the NBA's top 'freshman' all season.
Philaderlphia: Many felt the the 76ers would fall off after Embiid (22.9 & 11.0) ) was sidelined with an orbital fracture but they have continued to win, going 5-0 in the games he's missed so far. Embiid won't return until sometime during the postseason. No player came up bigger than rookie PG Ben Simmons against the Cavs, as he scored 27 points on 12-of-17 shooting, added 15 rebounds, 13 assists and four steals in Friday's win. He's third on the etam in scoring at 16.0 PPG, while adding 8.2 RPG and APG. SG Redick checks in with 16.9 PPG, PF Saric at 14.8 & 6.8 and SF Covington at 12.8 & 5.4. Additions like Belinelli (13.3 PPG in 25 games) and Ilysova (10.4 & 6.5 in 20 games) have been huge plus last year's overall No. 1 pick (Fultz) has averaged 7.3 & 4.3 APG in his seven games back on the court.
The pick: Philly had not yet gotten its act together when these two met back on Nov. 28, a game in which the Sixers held on for a 112-110 win after blowing most of their double-digit 4th-quarter lead. The team Dallas faces now is a well-oiled 'machine,' even without Embiid. However, this is a YUGE number and while the Mavs are averaging just 102.4 PPG (28th) on the season, they have averaged 107.0 PPG over their last three, despite missing Dirk and Barea. Dallas may be just 9-31 on the road but the Mavs are 20-19-1 ATS away from home. Also, Philly may just have a bit of a letdown after the team's dramatic 132-130 win over the Cavs. Take the points and make Dallas a 10* play.
