The Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks hoped to make playoff pushes this season. LA poured a ton of veterans into this roster, while the Mavericks added 18-year-old phenom Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick. So far, so bad; the Clips and Mavs are five and six games under .500, respectively, and circling the drain. Does either team have hope, or will they be flushed?
The Clippers are 2.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. They’re priced at -135 on the moneyline, while the Mavericks are +114 underdogs. The total for this game is set at 219.5 points. Let’s get into my preview, prediction and pick for this Clippers vs. Mavericks game.
Clippers vs. Mavericks prediction, preview
Following an exciting first-round series against the Nuggets the previous year, the Clippers aimed to take a step forward. Instead, they took a step backward, stumbled, then stepped on a rake and hit themselves in the face.
At 3-8, they have the second-worst defensive rating in the league (according to Cleaning the Glass), behind only the Brooklyn Nets, who are intentionally bad. Their 22nd-ranked offense isn’t faring much better, and will only be more difficult now that Bradley Beal is out for the year. Kawhi Leonard is facing another indefinite absence. Their only hope is to be saved by 36-year-old James Harden. Yikes.
This kind of despair can only be matched by the Dallas Mavericks. Less than a year after the Luka Doncic trade, they have the worst offensive rating in the league, fired Nico Harrison, and are considering Anthony Davis trade scenarios. It’s a bleak outlook for a team that, after this year, will not control their own first-round pick until 2031. But hey, at least Flagg is the goods.
So, who wins the futility duel tonight?
Clippers vs. Mavericks pick, best bet
It’s understandable why the Clippers are the favorites here. But the Mavericks got a significant boost: Dereck Lively II is back in the fold.
He’s a significant presence on defense and a vertical lob threat that puts even more on Ivica Zubac’s plate defensively. Dallas’ overwhelming size gives it an advantage over a small and slow LA team. Give me the home underdogs.
