NBA Betting Odds: Dallas Mavericks at Philadelphia 76ers

Added on Mar 01, 2011 by Jack Thurman in

NBA

Non-conference action on tonight’s NBA betting board pits the Dallas Mavericks against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wachovia Center. Both teams have been in excellent form lately–that’s not a surprise for Dallas but given the Sixers’ uninspired play in recent years is somewhat unexpected on their part. Philadelphia has actually moved above .500 which hasn’t happened this late in the season for quite some time. Dallas is currently in second place in the Western Conference 6 games back of the San Antonio Spurs.

Dallas Mavericks at Philadelphia 76ers
March 1, 2011 4:05 PM Pacific

Doug Collins has done a great job turning around this Philadelphia team–they’re 19-9 SU/18-10 ATS at home and if the season ended today would qualify for the playoffs. The Sixers are 23-13 as an underdog and 5-1 SU/ATS as a home underdog of less than 3. They’re 24-11 ATS in revenge situations and 17-8 ATS against opponents with winning records. Philly is also 13-6 ATS against Western Conference opponents this season.

In this matchup, however, we’re thinking that the Sixers’ ATS success has resulted in a bit of pointspread inflation in their favor. The Sixers deserve a ton of credit for their success this year, but the better they become the more difficult it’ll be for them to ‘sneak up’ on opponents. Dallas is a tough out for any team–they’ve been excellent on the road this season going 21-8 SU/19-10 ATS. They’re 4-1 SU/ATS as a road favorite of 3 or less. They’re 19-9 SU/19-8-1 ATS against opponents with winning records. Most significantly, perhaps, they’re a team that has built momentum during long winning streaks. After 3 or more consecutive wins they’re 22-4 SU/18-7 ATS. That’s something that most teams unfamiliar with winning have trouble with and Philadelphia is no exception–after 3 or more consecutive wins this season the Sixers are 1-3 SU/0-4 ATS.

Ultimately, we think the Mavs are still the better team and we’re more impressed with their recent success in the rugged Western Confernece. Dallas is 17-1 SU/13-5 ATS in their last 18 games and know they7 have an opportunity to pick up some ground on conference leading San Antonio due to the injury to Tony Parker. Sixers headed in the right direction but we don’t think they’re in the Mavs’ class just yet.

Bet Dallas Mavericks -1′ over Philadelphia 76ers