Cleveland Cavaliers vs Dallas Mavericks Prediction, 1/3/2025 Preview and Pick

Game: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Dallas Mavericks

Date: Friday, January 3, 2025

Location: American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX

TV: KFAA

American Airlines Center is where the Dallas Mavericks (20-12) will attempt to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers (27-4) on Friday.

The Cavaliers faced off with the Nuggets and went home with a win by a final score of 149-135 in their last contest. In regard to personal fouls, the Cavaliers ended up finishing with 17 while the Nuggets accumulated 20 personal fouls. They converted 15 out of their 31 attempts from 3-point range. Denver finished 77.8% at the charity stripe by converting 14 of their 18 tries. Additionally, Denver pulled down 38 rebounds (8 offensive, 30 defensive) and added 7 blocks. Denver distributed 39 assists and had 8 steals for the game. In terms of defense, Cleveland allowed the other team to go 56.4% from the field on 53 out of 94 shooting. They also doled out 40 dimes in this matchup in addition to creating 13 turnovers and having 10 steals. When talking about pulling down rebounds, they collected 38 with 9 of them being offensive. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Cavaliers knocked down 18 of 22 tries for a rate of 81.8%. Cleveland walked away from the contest having earned a 56.3% field goal percentage (54 of 96) and made 23 out of their 48 3-pointers.

Donovan Mitchell is someone who was a factor for the game. Mitchell finished the game at 58.8% from the floor and also earned 6 dimes. He saw the court for 30 mins and snagged 5 rebounds. He accounted for 33 points on 10 of 17 shooting.

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Cleveland will enter this contest with a win-loss record of 27-4 for the year. They have an average of 122.7 points per game (2nd in the NBA) while hitting 50.6% from the field. The Cavaliers are connecting on 40.9% on shots from beyond the arc (505 of 1,236) and 77.6% from the charity stripe. As a team, Cleveland is pulling down 43.4 boards per contest and has accumulated 896 dimes so far this year, which ranks 8th in the league in terms of passing the rock. They cough up possession 13.2 times per game and as a group they commit 18.3 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Cavaliers have forced 15.9 turnovers per game and they draw 19.1 fouls. They relinquish 37.5% on 3-point attempts and they are 11th in the league in points per game allowed (111.0). The Cavaliers defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 45.6% (1,253 of 2,748) and they surrender 43.4 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They are 8th in the NBA in giving up assists to their opponents with 787 surrendered on the campaign.

In their last game, the Mavericks took a loss by a final score of 126-122 when they faced the Trail Blazers. The Mavericks were able to pull down 30 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards totaling 40 for the game. They coughed up the ball 13 times, while earning 6 steals for the game. The Trail Blazers were called for 19 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Mavericks to the free throw line for 26 tries. They were able to knock down 21 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 80.8%. In reference to shots from beyond the arc, Dallas converted 15 out of 38 attempts (39.5%). Overall, the Mavericks went 43 out of 89 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 48.3%. The Mavericks permitted the Trail Blazers to convert 46 of 92 tries from the floor which left them shooting 50.0% in this matchup. They shot 42.3% from distance via 11 of 26 and finished the game at 23 of 29 at the charity stripe (79.3%). With respect to cleaning up the glass, Dallas allowed Portland to snag 50 overall (14 on the offensive glass).

Kyrie Irving was important for the Mavericks for the game. Irving earned 46 points in his 39 mins of playing time and accumulated 2 dimes for the contest. He made 16 out of 26 in this matchup for a rate of 61.5%, and accumulated 2 rebounds.

Dallas has a record of 20-12 for the campaign. As an offensive unit, the Mavericks are hitting on 48.4% from the floor, which ranks 5th in the league. Dallas has scored 3,765 points for the campaign (117.7 per contest) and they snag 45.1 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 25.3 times per contest (18th in the NBA) and they turn it over 14.2 times per game. The Mavericks are committing 19.1 fouls every game and they go 77.6% from the free throw line.

The Dallas defense gives up 35.7% on shots from beyond the arc (418 of 1,170) and their opposition makes 76.8% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 26.7 assists and 43.9 rebounds every game, which has them ranked 20th and 16th in basketball. The Mavericks defensively are ranked 13th in the NBA in points per game surrendered with 111.5. They have forced 14.3 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.3% from the field (5th in basketball).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Dallas

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