Few teams bring as much excitement to the NBA Preseason as the Utah Jazz and the Dallas Mavericks. Cooper Flagg is showing off every bit of talent that made him the No. 1 pick while Ace Bailey is starting to prove some doubters wrong. Now, the two will do battle with their new teams.
The Mavericks are set as four-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. They’re priced at -162 on the Moneyline, while the Jazz are +136 underdogs. The total for this game is set at 236 points. Let’s get into my preview, prediction, and pick for this Mavericks vs. Jazz preseason game.
Jazz vs. Mavericks prediction, preview
Flagg is the storyline for the Mavericks in the preseason. Those who watched him at the AAU level and at Duke know he’s capable of absurd things. Now the entire NBA is bearing witness to his incredible talents on a nightly basis.
But the breakout performances from the Jazz cannot be denied. Ace Bailey kicked off his preseason with 25 points against the Rockets, followed by 20 points against the Spurs. The full complement of his shot creation was on display between the midrange game, shots at the rim, and the three-point shot. It’s been an outstanding display so far.
But don’t sleep on Ice Brice. Brice Sensabaugh’s incredible scoring has translated from a great Summer League, scoring a combined 50 points through two preseason games off the bench. A breakout year from the former first-rounder would do wonders for their rebuild.
Jazz vs. Mavericks pick, best bet
A couple of things have been certainties in Jazz preseason games. Bailey and Sensabaugh will combine for a lot of points, setting up extremely high totals. Their first game was a 140-127 loss, the second a 134-130 loss. That’s two straight games with a 260+ point total. Even at a high total of 236, I’m counting on another dynamite scoring affair at altitude.
