Oklahoma City Thunder vs Dallas Mavericks Prediction, 3/3/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Dallas Mavericks

Date: Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Location: American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX

TV: Fox Sports Southwest

Odds/Point Spread: Oklahoma City (+8.5)

The Dallas Mavericks (17-16) host the Oklahoma City Thunder (14-20) at American Airlines Center on Wednesday. Dallas opens this contest as 8.5-point favorites. The O/U has been set at 222.

The Oklahoma City Thunder took the court against the Denver Nuggets and took a loss by a final of 126-96 in their last contest. Oklahoma City finished the game with a 42.0% field goal percentage (37 of 88) and made 11 of their 47 shots from beyond the arc. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Thunder made 11 of their 15 shots for a rate of 73.3%. In the matter of getting rebounds, they compiled 37 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 24 assists in the game as well as forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and earning 7 steals. In reference to defending, Oklahoma City allowed 55.1% from the field on 49 of 89 shooting. Denver doled out 30 dimes and had 6 steals for this contest. Additionally, Denver snagged 49 rebounds (6 offensive, 43 defensive) and got 3 rejections. Denver finished the contest at 81.3% at the free throw line by making 13 of 16 shots. They also made 15 of 31 attempts from distance.

Darius Bazley is a player who was a factor in the matchup. He scored 22 points on 8 out of 16 shooting. He was on the court for 32:28 mins played and also pulled down 4 boards. Bazley finished the game at 50.0% from the floor but had no dimes when the game ended. An additional guy that was a major contributor in this game for the Thunder was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He totaled 5 rebounds in his 26:07 min played. He ended up shooting 45.5% from the floor for this contest via 5-of-11 (13 points). When the final whistle was blown, Gilgeous-Alexander totaled 6 assists.

Oklahoma City will enter this game with a record of 14-20 so far this season. They are averaging 106.7 points per contest (27th in the NBA) while hitting 44.9% from the floor. The Thunder are shooting 34.4% on shots from distance (444 of 1,289) and 73.4% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Oklahoma City is collecting 44.3 boards per contest and has 796 assists for the season, which ranks 23rd in the league in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession by turning the ball over 14.6 times per contest and as a team they commit 18.2 fouls per game. On defense, the Thunder are forcing 13.3 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 18.2 fouls. The Thunder defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 46.3% (453 of 619) and they relinquish 48.5 boards per game as a basketball team. They are currently ranked 18th in the NBA in giving up assists to the opposition with 852 relinquished this year. They give up 35.2% on 3-pointers and they are ranked 18th in the league in opponents PPG (112.4).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Dallas Mavericks went home victorious with a score of 130-124 when they played the Orlando Magic. The Mavericks collected 39 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 46 for the contest. They also turned the ball over 8 times, while getting 6 steals for this contest. The Magic earned 17 fouls in this contest which got the Mavericks to the charity stripe for a total of 23 shots. They were able to bury 19 of those for a rate of 82.6%. With respect to three-point attempts, Dallas knocked down 17 of 46 attempts (37.0%). When this game wrapped up, the Mavericks went 47 for 90 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 52.2%. The Mavericks allowed the Magic to make 47 of 95 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 49.5% in the matchup. They finished 48.8% from beyond the arc by shooting 20 out of 41 and walked away from this one shooting 10 of 14 at the charity stripe (71.4%). In relation to cleaning up the glass, Dallas permitted Orlando to snag 41 in all (6 offensive).

Luka Doncic was important for the Mavericks for this game. He buried 12 out of 22 in this game giving him a rate of 54.5%, and earned 10 rebounds. Doncic tallied 33 points in his 37:27 mins on the court and accumulated 9 assists for the contest. An additional guy that ended up playing a role for Dallas was Kristaps Porzingis. He wrapped the game up with 3 dimes in 32:56 mins played, and he shot 5 out of 15 from the floor. Porziņģis walked away from this one going 33.3% from the field in addition to collecting 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Dallas has a win-loss mark of 17-16 this year. Dallas has accounted for 3,714 pts this year (112.5 per game) and they pull down 42.5 rebounds per contest. The Mavericks are responsible for committing 20.4 personal fouls per contest while shooting 78.3% from the charity stripe. When it comes to executing on offense, the Mavericks are shooting 46.7% from the field, which is 13th in the NBA. They are earning an assist 22.8 times per game (25th in the league) and they are giving up possession 12.3 times per game. The Mavericks on the defensive side of the court are 22nd in the league in PPG given up with 113.4. The Dallas defense gives up 37.2% on shots from beyond the perimeter (449 of 1,207) and opponents are converting on 76.5% of their foul shots. They surrender 23.5 dimes and 45.4 boards on a nightly basis, ranking them 7th and 21st in the league. They are able to force 13.5 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.7% from the field (15th in basketball).

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take Dallas (-8.5) and under 222 points

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