Posted on 3/31/2008 6:43:25 PM

NBA Sportsbook Basketball Betting Mavericks vs Clippers

By D.S Williamson

Dallas Mavericks (- 7) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (+ 7)

As expected, the loss of Dirk Nowitzki has definitely hurt the Dallas Mavericks. In their last 5 games they have gone 0 and 6 against the BetUS spread. They’ve also won only one of those games straight-up. Against who? Well, none other than these same Los Angeles Clippers. Dallas beat the Clippers by 13 points in that game. Josh Howard has been amazing since Dirk went down, scoring 30 against the Clippers. Unfortunately for the Mavs, Howard’s 30 versus the Nuggets, a game later, did them no good. Neither did the 36 he laid onto the Golden State Warriors a couple of nights ago. Howard is doing his part. It’s the rest of the Mavs that haven’t stepped up.

The Clippers are…well, we all know what they are by now, right? They are 31 and 42 against the BetUS spread so far this season. They are 15 and 22 against the BetUS spread at home. In their last 10 games they’ve actually improved, going 5 and 5 against the BetUS spread. That’s a winning stretch for a team like the Clippers. Here are more trends.

The Dallas Mavericks are 6 and 1 against the spread in their last 7 games versus a team with a winning percentage of below .400.

The Los Angeles Clippers are 4 and 0 in their last 4 games versus a team from the NBA Southwest.

The Home team is 5 and 1 in the last 6 meetings between these two teams.

The Under is 7 and 1 in the last 8 meetings between these two teams in Los Angeles.

I got burned on the under the last time these two teams met. I mean, I thought it was in the bag, but all of a sudden both the Mavs and the Clippers went nuts. The BetUS over/under in this game is 192.5. I’m not sure how it will go. The Mavs could go nuts again. The Clippers could go nuts. Both teams could go crazy and score over 100 points. That’s the way it has been with the Mavs. They are unpredictable without Dirk in their.

A better wager from my perspective has to do with the point spread. I actually believe that the Clippers will play better in this game then have been playing lately. Yes, I do understand that NBA “rules” pretty much require the Clippers to lose, but 7 points is an awful lot to give up to a team on the road.

Also, we can’t discount the fact that Dallas has just been horrible lately. As I wrote above, the Mavs are 0 and 6 against the BetUS spread in their last 6 games. They can’t cover against anybody. That includes the Los Angeles Clippers.

The BetUS spread is Los Angeles Clippers + 7 against the spread on the road versus the Dallas Mavericks.

I like the Clippers to beat the spread.

You’ll find the latest 2007-2008 NBA odds and lines in the best online sportsbook, BetUS.com. Betting on NBA player and game props makes every aspect of the game exciting. Join BetUS.com today to bet on the NBA and make online sports betting work for you!