Dallas Mavericks vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, 5/7/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Dallas Mavericks vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Date: Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Location: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK

TV: TNT

Odds/Point Spread: Dallas (+3)

Paycom Center is the location where the Oklahoma City Thunder will attempt to beat the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals. Oklahoma City opens this contest as 3-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The betting total is set at 213.5.

The Mavericks faced off with the Clippers and earned the victory with a final of 114-101 to win their 1st round series. In the matter of personal fouls, the Mavericks finished with 24 while the Clippers accounted for 26 personal fouls. They knocked down 8 of their 31 tries from beyond the arc. Los Angeles finished the game at 78.1% when shooting free throws by making 25 of 32 shots. In addition, Los Angeles pulled down 45 rebounds (16 offensive, 29 defensive) and got 4 blocks. Los Angeles dished out 23 dimes and had 4 steals for this game. In regard to defense, Dallas allowed the other team to shoot 41.5% from the field on 34 of 82 shooting. They also doled out 26 assists for this game as well as forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and earning 6 steals. When discussing pulling down boards, they earned 45 with 18 of them being of the offensive variety. At the charity stripe, the Mavericks buried 22 of 33 shots for a percentage of 66.7%. Dallas ended with a 48.2% FG percentage (40 out of 83) and converted 12 of their 36 three-point attempts.

Kyrie Irving is one player who was a major contributor for the contest. Irving finished the game shooting 57.9% from the field and totaled 4 assists. He was on the court for 42 mins and also totaled 6 boards. He ended up walking away with 30 points on 11 out of 19 shooting.

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Dallas will play this contest with a win-loss mark of 50-32 for the season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 12.5 times per contest and as a squad they commit 18.3 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Dallas is collecting 42.9 boards per game and is sitting with 2,106 dimes for the year, which is 19th in basketball in terms of passing. The Mavericks are connecting on 36.9% on shots beyond the perimeter (1,197 of 3,242) and 75.8% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 117.9 pts per contest (7th in the NBA) while hitting 48.1% from the field.

Defensively, the Mavericks are forcing 13.7 turnovers per contest while drawing 20.3 personal fouls. They are 22nd in basketball in giving up assists to their opponents with 2,258 surrendered so far this season. The Mavericks are allowing a FG percentage of 47.5% (3,522 of 7,413) and they relinquish 45.1 boards per contest as a basketball team. They are conceding 36.8% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 20th in the league in PPG allowed (115.6).

When they last stepped on the court, the Thunder took home the win by a final score of 97-89 against the Pelicans to close out their series. The Thunder recorded 36 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards for a total of 44 for this game. They turned it over 14 times, while getting 9 steals for this game. The Pelicans had 25 fouls in the game which got the Thunder to the free throw line for a total of 24 attempts. They were able to convert 15 of the free throws for a percentage of 62.5%. In the matter of shots from 3-point land, Oklahoma City buried 12 of their 40 attempts (30.0%). Overall, the Thunder went 35 for 82 from the field which had them shooting 42.7%. The Thunder permitted the Pelicans to bury 32 of 85 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 37.6% for this contest. They went 23.5% from 3-point land by going 8 out of 34 and walked away from this one shooting 17 out of 20 at the free throw line (85.0%). With respect to rebounding, Oklahoma City allowed New Orleans to collect 50 overall (12 on the offensive side).

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was important for the Thunder in the game. Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 24 points in his 40 minutes on the court and added 3 dimes in this game. He made 8 out of 21 for this contest giving him a rate of 38.1%, and had 10 rebounds.

Oklahoma City has a mark of 57-25 on the season. When it comes to offensive execution, the Thunder are hitting on 49.9% from the field, which is ranked 3rd in the league. Oklahoma City has totaled 9,847 pts on the campaign (120.1 per contest) and they collect 42.0 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 27.1 times per contest (11th in the NBA) and they turn it over 12.7 times per contest. The Thunder commit 18.8 fouls per game while shooting 82.5% from the free throw line.

The Thunder defensively are ranked 11th in the NBA in points given up per game with 112.7. They are forcing 15.7 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 45.5% from the field (3rd in the NBA). The Oklahoma City defense gives up 36.1% on three-point shots (1,101 of 3,052) and their opponents are knocking down 78.9% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 26.9 assists and 44.7 rebounds per game, which ranks 18th and 23rd in the NBA.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Oklahoma City (-3)

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