Cleveland Cavaliers vs Dallas Mavericks Prediction, 12/27/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Dallas Mavericks

Date: Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Location: American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX

TV: Bally Sports Southwest-Dallas

The Cleveland Cavaliers (17-13) are en route to American Airlines Center on Wednesday where they will try to beat the Dallas Mavericks (18-12).

The Cavaliers faced off with the Bulls and went home with a win by a final score of 109-95 in their last game. With respect to fouls, the Cavaliers ended up with 16 and the Bulls recorded 22 fouls. They knocked down 8 of their 35 attempts from three-point range. Chicago ended up shooting 89.5% from the free throw line by converting 17 of 19 shots. On top of that, Chicago snagged 37 rebounds (5 offensive, 32 defensive) and added 4 blocked shots. Chicago doled out 23 assists and had 6 steals in this matchup. When it comes to the defense, Cleveland allowed the other team to go 43.8% from the field on 35 out of 80 shooting. They also distributed 28 dimes in the game as well as forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and getting 7 steals. Pertaining to pulling down boards, they collected 48 with 15 of them being of the offensive sort. At the free throw line, the Cavaliers made 19 of their 26 tries for a rate of 73.1%. Cleveland wrapped up the contest with a 44.3% field goal percentage (39 out of 88) and converted 12 of their 45 3-point attempts.

Max Strus is a player who was a factor in this game. He ended up walking away with 26 points on 9 of 22 shooting. He was on the court for 41 minutes and also pulled down 1 rebound. Strus finished shooting 40.9% from the field and distributed 7 dimes.

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Cleveland enters this contest with a mark of 17-13 so far this year. They are giving up possession 14.1 times per contest and as a basketball team they commit 19.3 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, Cleveland is pulling down 43.9 rebounds per game and is sitting with 779 assists this year, which is 11th in basketball in terms of passing the ball. The Cavaliers are shooting 35.3% on shots from downtown (373 of 1,058) and 76.7% from the free throw line. They are averaging 112.0 points per contest (23rd in the NBA) while connecting on 47.3% from the field.

When they are on the defensive end, the Cavaliers are forcing 14.4 turnovers per game and they draw 19.6 personal fouls. They give up 36.3% from beyond the arc and they are ranked 8th in the league in points per game from their opponents (111.9). The Cavaliers defense is giving up a FG percentage of 46.1% (1,212 of 2,628) and they surrender 42.9 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are ranked 10th in the NBA in giving up assists to the opposition with 746 relinquished this season.

The last time they took the court, the Mavericks walked away with a victory by a final of 128-114 against the Suns. In reference to how they cleaned up the glass, Dallas allowed Phoenix to snag 47 in total (14 on the offensive glass). They finished 34.1% from distance by going 14 of 41 and finished the contest at 20 of 25 at the free throw line (80.0%). The Mavericks allowed the Suns to knock down 40 of their 90 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 44.4% in this contest. When the game finished, the Mavericks ended up going 45 for 84 from the field which gave them a rate of 53.6%. Regarding shots from distance, Dallas made 16 of their 44 tries (36.4%). They were able to convert 22 of the free throw tries for a clip of 73.3%. The Suns committed 21 personal fouls in this game which took the Mavericks to the free throw line for a total of 30 tries. They turned it over 11 times, while recording 7 steals in the game. The Mavericks were able to collect 30 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 38 for the contest.

Luka Doncic ended up being a major contributor for the Mavericks for the game. He knocked down 15 out of 25 in this contest for a field goal rate of 60.0%, and accounted for 6 rebounds. Doncic scored 50 points in his 44 minutes of playing time and totaled 15 dimes in this matchup.

Dallas has a mark of 18-12 on the season. The Mavericks commit 18.3 personal fouls per game and they shoot 75.0% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 25.2 times per game (24th in the league) and they are turning it over 11.9 times per game. Dallas has accounted for 3,580 pts this season (119.3 per contest) and they pull down 42.4 boards per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Mavericks are shooting 47.1% from the floor, which ranks them 18th in the league.

The Dallas defense concedes 36.6% on shots from behind the 3-point line (388 of 1,061) and opponents are knocking down 76.9% of their free throw attempts. They have relinquished 27.1 assists and 46.3 boards every game, which is 21st and 28th in the league. The Mavericks on the defensive side of the court are 22nd in basketball in points per game surrendered with 117.8. They are forcing 14.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 48.5% from the field (22nd in basketball).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Dallas

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