The Dallas Mavericks are set to face off with the Oklahoma City Thunder today in a rematch of last season’s conference semifinals.
Both of these teams are battling injuries with Luka Doncic headlining things for Dallas. Doncic has been ruled out for the matchup due to a knee contusion and the Mavericks will need to make up for the 28.2 points, 7.8 assists and 7.8 rebounds that their superstar has averaged so far this season.
Expect most of this responsibility to be put onto the shoulders of Kyrie Irving. The eight-time All-Star is the only other player on the Mavericks averaging over 15 points per game and has averaged 24.9 points, 5.0 assists and 4.9 rebounds this season.
The Thunder enter this game as 7.5-point favorites. The Mavericks are considered +225 underdogs on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook with the game total set at 228 points.
As Irving prepares to take on the Thunder without Doncic, here are his best prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Kyrie Irving Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
DraftKings Sportsbook has set Kyrie Irving’s prop lines for points (25.5), rebounds (4.5), assists (6.5) and made three-pointers (2.5). Here are the top betting options to consider:
Over 25.5 Points (-120): Irving’s point prop is set at 25.5 points with the odds set at -120 for the over and -110 for the under. Irving has averaged 24.9 points per game this season and has gone over 25.5 points in five of the 12 games he has played.
This is a difficult matchup for the Mavericks as the Thunder are holding opponents to the fewest points per game this season at 102.2. However, Irving has played 11 games in his career with the Mavericks without Doncic. In these games, he has averaged 30.0 points per game. Irving is also averaging 20.2 field-goal attempts without Doncic, which is a notable uptick from the 17.2 he has averaged this season.
Expect Irving to be in attack mode and be looking to let it fly. While the Thunder’s perimeter defense is still very strong, the team has taken a notable hit since the loss of Chet Holmgren. I like the over on his points prop tonight.
Over 4.5 Rebounds (-125): The rebounding prop for Irving is set at 4.5 with the over favored at -125 odds and the odds for the under set at -105. The former NBA Champion has averaged 4.9 rebounds per game this season and recorded five or more in seven of 12 games. He has averaged 5.4 rebounds per game in matchups without Doncic during his Mavericks tenure.
The loss of Holmgren is especially notable here as he is Oklahoma City’s leading rebounder at 8.7 rebounds per game. The Thunder have been forced to play small-ball lineups but are 3-0 in these games with 6-foot-5 Jalen Williams serving as the primary center. The Mavericks will have the size advantage for this game and Irving’s rebounding prop is not one I am overly bullish on, but the opportunity is there.
Over 6.5 Assists (-110): Irving’s assist line is set at 6.5 with the over set at -110 odds and the odds for the under set at -120. So far this season, Irving has averaged 5.0 assists, which is slightly below the 5.3 he has averaged during his time in Dallas and 5.7 in his career. He has only tallied over 6.5 assists in two games this season.
During the 11 games he has played for the Mavericks without Doncic, Irving has averaged 6.6 assists per game. The offense is set to look fundamentally different without its isolation-centric superstar and this will be the first look at this occurring this season. He has traditionally seen a jump in playmaking without Doncic, but there has not been enough evidence of this yet this season for me to be confident in this.
Over 2.5 Three-Pointers Made (-125): The three-point line for Irving is set at 2.5 made three-pointers, with the over favored at -125 odds and the odds for the under set at -105. Irving is averaging 2.9 made three-pointers per game this season and is shooting an absurd 52.2% from beyond the arc this season. He has made three or more three-pointers in six of the 12 games he has played this season and made at least one long-range shot in every game.
The Mavericks will need to make up some significant volume from the perimeter as Doncic is attempting the fourth-most three-pointers in the league at 10.1 per game. In games without Doncic, Irving has averaged 8.5 three-point attempts per game and has made three or more in eight of the 11 games. Irving to make over 2.5 three-pointers is my favorite prop bet on the slate.
Futures Outlook: The Mavericks still hold deep playoff aspirations and hold the sixth-best odds of winning the NBA Championship at +1300 odds. They are the third favorites to win the Western Conference at +650 odds and hold -310 odds of making the playoffs outright. Luka Doncic also holds the fourth-best odds of winning MVP at +850 odds.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is seanbarnard) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
