NBA Odds - Surging Mavericks Host Struggling Knicks

The New York Knicks (13-20 SU, 17-16 ATS, 14-19 O/U) looked totally inept in their 107-99 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, just one game after beating the defending-champion Boston Celtics while failing to cover the spread as 2-point road favorites in the BetUS Sportsbook.

The Dallas Mavericks (21-13 SU, 15-19 ATS, 14-20 O/U) beat the Los Angeles Clippers 107-102 the last time out and have won four of their last five overall.

Tonight, the Mavs will try to add to the Knicks’ recent woes when they square off at American Airlines Center.

New York got a team-high 21 points from forward Al Harrington to lead six Knicks that reached double figures in scoring, though New York made just 39.8 percent of its field goal attempts.

"We dug ourselves a hole and tried to climb our way out of it and just came up short," said forward Al Harrington, who scored a team-high 21 points and went 4-for-6 from 3-point range. "No disrespect to those guys, but we were supposed to win this game."

The Knicks allowed Kevin Durant and Jeff Green to each score 27 points while rookie point guard Russell Westbrook added 22 points.

All-star forward Dirk Nowitzki dropped 34 points on the Clippers on Tuesday night although Dallas failed to cover the spread as a 14.5-point home favorite in the BetUS Sportsbook.

"Terrible. We had a good lead and we let up," said Nowitzki, who had 34 points. "They got whatever they wanted offensively. We couldn't get any stops."

Dallas is playing the last of six straight games against teams with records under .500 but had to scrap against the Clippers  after jumping out to a 13-point lead following one quarter.

"We're going to have to be a lot better on Thursday because New York is an improving team and they put a lot of pressure on you with their transition game and the 3," coach Rick Carlisle said. "We're going to have to be better on Thursday."

Here is a look at the key NBA betting trends for each team, followed by my in-depth analysis and NBA Free Picks:

The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New York's last 5 games

New York is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games on the road

The total has gone UNDER in 9 of New York's last 12 games on the road

The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New York's last 6 games when playing Dallas

Dallas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing New York

Dallas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against New York

Dallas is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home

Dallas is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing New York

NBA Odds

New York Knicks +7½ -110

Dallas Mavericks -7½ -110

Over 209 -110

Under 209 -110

Analysis: The Mavericks have covered the spread in five of their last six meetings against the Knicks and I think tonight’s contest will turn out to be another cover, although you just never know which Knicks team is going to show up.

The Over is looking attractive and so are the Mavs!

NBA Free Picks: Dallas -7½ Points/Over 209 Total Points