Oklahoma City Thunder vs Dallas Mavericks Prediction, 5/18/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Dallas Mavericks

Date: Saturday, May 18, 2024

Location: American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX

TV: ABC

Odds/Point Spread: Oklahoma City (+5)

American Airlines Center is the location where the Dallas Mavericks will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals. The Mavs lead the series 3-2. Dallas opens as 5-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The total comes in at 211.5.

The Thunder took a loss by a score of 104-92 in Game 5. In reference to personal fouls, the Thunder ended up walking away with 15 while the Mavericks racked up 17 personal fouls. They also knocked down 14 of 35 tries from beyond the arc. Dallas finished the contest at 76.9% from the charity stripe by making 10 of 13 attempts. On top of that, Dallas grabbed 46 boards (9 offensive, 37 defensive) and added 2 rejections. Dallas doled out 27 assists and had 5 steals for this game. With respect to the defense, Oklahoma City allowed 52.6% from the floor on 40 out of 76 shooting. They also doled out 20 assists in the game while forcing the other team into 14 turnovers and having 8 steals. In reference to rebounding, they earned a total of 33 with 8 of them being offensive. At the charity stripe, the Thunder converted 8 of their 10 shots for a percentage of 80.0%. Oklahoma City wrapped up the contest with a 42.5% field goal percentage (37 of 87) and buried 10 of their 40 shots from 3-point land.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is someone who was a major factor in this matchup. Gilgeous-Alexander ended up going 54.5% from the field and also recorded 8 assists. He was on the hardwood for 43 minutes played and collected 6 boards. He racked up 30 points on 12 of 22 shooting.

Get all of our NBA Picks Tonight

Oklahoma City heads into this contest with a mark of 57-25 for the season. They currently have an average of 120.1 pts per game (3rd in the league) while shooting 49.9% from the floor. The Thunder are shooting 38.9% from downtown (1,090 of 2,805) and 82.5% from the free throw line. As a team, Oklahoma City is grabbing 42.0 boards per game and has accumulated 2,223 dimes for the year, which is 11th in basketball in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 12.7 times per contest and as a unit are committing 18.8 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Thunder have forced 15.7 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.9 fouls. They are relinquishing 36.1% from 3-point land while they are 11th in the league in PPG allowed (112.7). The Thunder defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 45.5% (3,328 of 7,322) and they concede 44.7 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They are 18th in the league in allowing assists to the opposition with 2,207 surrendered on the year.

In Game 5, the Mavericks collected 37 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive boards totaling 46 for this game. They also gave up possession of the ball 14 times, while getting 5 steals for the game. The Thunder committed 15 fouls for the game which took the Mavericks to the charity stripe for 13 tries. They were able to convert 10 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 76.9%. In the matter of 3-pointers, Dallas converted 14 of their 35 attempts (40.0%). When the final whistle blew, the Mavericks finished the game shooting 40 out of 76 from the floor which gave them a rate of 52.6%. The Mavericks permitted the Thunder to convert 37 out of 87 tries from the field which had them sitting at 42.5% in this game. They finished the game shooting 25.0% from distance by connecting on 10 of 40 and ended up shooting 8 of 10 from the free throw line (80.0%). Regarding rebounds, Dallas allowed Oklahoma City to snag 33 overall (8 on the offensive glass).

Luka Doncic ended up being a major contributor for the Mavericks for this contest. He converted 12 of 22 in this contest for a rate of 54.5%, and had 10 rebounds. Doncic recorded 31 points in his 41 minutes on the court and had 11 assists for this contest.

Dallas has a mark of 50-32 this year. The Mavericks are responsible for committing 18.3 fouls per game and they go 75.8% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 25.7 times per contest (19th in the league) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.5 times per contest. Dallas has tallied 9,664 points so far this year (117.9 per contest) and they snag 42.9 rebounds per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Mavericks are connecting on 48.1% from the field, which is ranked 11th in the NBA.

The Mavericks defensively are ranked 20th in the league in points allowed per game with 115.6. They are forcing 13.7 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 47.5% from the floor (20th in the league). The Dallas defense concedes 36.8% on shots from behind the 3-point line (1,075 of 2,921) and their opponents are making 77.0% of their foul shots. They allow 27.5 assists and 45.1 rebounds per contest, which ranks them 22nd and 25th in the league.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Dallas (-5)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here