The Mavericks are back home after a three-game road trip to face the Brooklyn Nets for a second time this season. Their first matchup was exactly one month ago, where Dallas won 119-111. This time around, the Mavericks will be without Anthony Davis and possibly P.J. Washington, while the Nets will not have first-round pick Egor Demin. Still, Nets’ leading scorer Michael Porter Jr. will be in the lineup, and he has caused a lot of problems for Dallas in the past. With how the Mavericks have looked the last few games, they will need to lean on home court advantage to have any shot of not disappointing again.
Dallas Mavericks (14-25) vs Brooklyn Nets (11-24)
Tipoff: 7:30p CT at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX
How to watch: The game will be televised locally on KFAA Channel 29, or streaming on Mavs TV for anyone in the Mavericks media market. For those outside of the viewing area, NBA League Pass will have you covered.
Over/Under: 219.5 (-112/-108)
Cooper Flagg over 35.5 points + rebounds + assists (-106)
Michael Porter Jr. to score 30+ points (+164)
Cooper Flagg will not have two bad games in a row. The Nets have the fifth-worst defense in their six games in January, and Flagg was able to get 22 points, five rebounds, and eight assists in these teams’ last matchup. Porter Jr. is a matchup nightmare for Dallas and had 34 points in their first meeting. He is coming off a bad game in the last contest he played in as well, so expect a duel from these two tonight.
The Mavericks should not be favored against anyone right now. Not with the laundry list of injuries they have, certainly not with their incentive to lose. The Nets are not necessarily competitive either, but they do have guys that pose a threat to whatever Mavericks defense is left. The first meeting had 230 points; this one should have a similar amount.