Posted on
2/14/2008 5:05:44 PM
Pro Basketball Betting Action – Powerhouses Face Off In Phoenix
By Eric Williams
Despite being two of the top teams in the powerful western conference the past four seasons, the Phoenix Suns, (36-15 SU, 22-27-2 ATS, 27-24 O/U) and Dallas Mavericks, (34-17 SU, 20-28-3 ATS, 24-27 O/U), have recently been compelled to make franchise-altering trades in order to increase their respective chances of surpassing the San Antonio Spurs for supremacy in the western conference – while simultaneously bettering their chances of winning an NBA championship either this season or some time in the very near future.
First the Suns shocked the entire league by trading athletic, multi-talented forward Shawn Marion for an aging broken-down Shaquille O’Neal in order to have a low post presence capable of competing with the Spur’s ‘Big Fundamental’ Tim Duncan.
The Mavericks saw their attempt to acquire New Jersey Nets veteran point guard Jason Kidd, blocked, (for now), by small forward Devean George, but are keeping their fingers and toes crossed that they can complete the trade for Kidd sometime before the trade deadline on Feb. 21.
O’Neal will not play with his new team until next week because of conditioning reasons, and Kidd’s move to the Mavs is on indefinite hold as George protects his “Bird Rights.”
"We're not trying to hold things up or be difficult, but just like teams make tough decisions all the time - about cutting players or making trades - they do what's best for their team, and it's my obligation to do what's best for Devean," his agent, Mark Bartelstein, said Wednesday night.
Deal or no deal, the teams will face off tonight in a contest that could go a long way toward determining each club’s postseason seeding.
The Mavericks have struggled recently, dropping four of their last ten games but managed to emphatically snap their two-game losing streak by routing the Portland Trailblazers 96-76 last night.
The Suns are 1-1 since trading Marion, in two extremely close contests. After beating the Washington 108-107 last Sunday, the Suns fell to the run-and-gun Golden State Warriors last night, losing 120-118 in a contest that displayed all the defense of a three-year-old ‘biddy basketball’ game.
More importantly for my beloved BetUS.com NBA basketball betting community is the fact that neither team is doing very well against the spread right now.
The Suns have gone 4-5-1 against the spread in their last ten while the Mavericks are a dismal 3-7 against the spread over the same span.
Here is a look at tonight’s key trends, followed by my NBA Betting Free Picks:
The Mavericks are 5-13-2 ATS in their last 20 vs. NBA Pacific.
The Mavericks are 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
The Suns are 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
The Suns are 3-7 ATS in their last ten Thursday games.
The Over is 4-0 in Mavericks last four vs. NBA Pacific.
The Under is 5-0 in Suns last five Thursday games.
The Underdog is 4-1-1 ATS in the last six meetings.
The Road team is 4-1-1 ATS in the last six meetings.
Analysis: This game is an absolute ‘no-brainer’ as the Mavericks should be able to cover the spread in this contest with their eyes closed. The Suns no longer have Marion ding his terrific all-around thing in the desert, nor do they have the player they traded for, (O’Neal), just yet. Although the Mavericks have been one of the biggest ATS disappointments in the league this season, I say take Dirk and the boys to cover tonight. As an aside to this contest, there won’t be much defense played either, so take the Over as well.
NBA Free Picks: Dallas +7½ Points/Over 204½ Total Points
10:35 PM EST NBA Point Spreads
Dallas Mavericks +7½ -110
Phoenix Suns -7½ -110
Over 204½ -110
Under 204½ -110
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