San Antonio Spurs vs Dallas Mavericks: Predictions, Odds and Roster Notes

What: San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks

Where: American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX

When: Tuesday, March 12th at 8:00 PM EST

How (TV/Radio): TNT | WOAI 1200AM

San Antonio Spurs (Away)

Head Coach: Gregg Popovich {All-Time 1234-570 | SAS}

The San Antonio Spurs currently sit comfortably in seventh place in the Western Conference table. With a record of 38-29, they are four games ahead of the nearest threat the Sacramento Kings seem primed to be in the playoffs for another consecutive season.

The Spurs, as any Popovich team would, have been tightening the screws as they slowly get into playoff season. They are on a five-game win streak including their most recent win over the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks.

The San Antonio Spurs are yet to lose against the Dallas Mavericks so far this season. Their combination of movement-oriented offensive play mixed with their stout defensive ideals has been difficult to overcome for the Mavericks. The Spurs will look to maintain a similar performance tonight.

Dallas Mavericks (Home)

Head Coach: Rick Carlisle {All-Time 745-616 | DET, IND, DAL}

It speaks to the quality of the Western Conference that the Dallas Mavericks hold a twelve game lead over the Phoenix Suns who are last in the West. Yet the Mavs are still just one spot ahead of them in fourteenth. With a record of 27-39, the Mavs are 10.5 games out of the playoffs and are unlikely to challenge for a berth this year.

The Mavericks have been on an awful run of form as of late, posting a record of 1-9 in their last ten matches. Not exactly tanking, the Mavericks are trying new combinations in hopes of discovering something valuable for their future.

Dallas has failed to solve the puzzle that is the San Antonio Spurs this season. They’ve been unable to guard Demar DeRozan on the perimeter and LaMarcus Aldridge has been a force in the paint. While the Mavericks are clearly focused on next season, they certainly don’t want to be swept on their home court to their state rivals.

What’s At Stake?

The San Antonio Spurs have a stranglehold on the regular season series with the Dallas Mavericks. Over 178 games all-time, the San Antonio Spurs lead the Dallas Mavericks 110-68.

A win for the Spurs would take them above the Utah Jazz and into sixth place in the West.

A win for the Dallas Mavericks would move them above the Memphis Grizzlies into thirteenth in the West.

Questions to answer

How did the Spurs overcome the NBA’s best?

What was there to learn in the Mavericks recent loss?

We are going to compare the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks in an attempt to see who has the advantage in this matchup.

San Antonio Took Down A Giant

The San Antonio Spurs showed how dangerous they truly are when they took down the NBA leading Milwaukee Bucks. It was a tough night for the San Antonio Spurs to start the game, but guidance by their veteran leaders helped them through the match.

Veteran leaders should be credited, especially the likes of Demar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge. DeRozan had 28 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds, while Aldridge posted 29 points, 15 rebounds, and 2 blocks and steals on the game. You can’t ask for much more from a single player and both put it all on the line against the Bucks.

If the Spurs can implement this kind of performance night in and night out in the playoffs, they will be a team to watch. Their scrambling defense does incredibly well to take shooters off the line and their offense is practiced and efficient. The Spurs are a team to watch.

Dallas Lost A Heartbreaker To The Rockets

Losers of four straight, the Mavericks looked to knock off the hottest team in the NBA when they took on the Houston Rockets. They were able to get James Harden into foul trouble early, but a messy third quarter made it an uphill climb to the end.

The Mavericks admittedly had a poor offensive performance on the evening, only kept in the game to some terrible shooting from James Harden and Chris Paul. But credit the Mavericks, they didn’t slouch on the defensive end. Particularly Maxi Kleber, who returned from injury to post a double-double with three blocks.

The last play of the game was a bit of a mess. With seven seconds on the clock at full-court, head coach Rick Carlisle chose not to call a timeout and let his young playmaker run it from there. After being triple-teamed at the half, a pass to Jalen Brunson for the buzzer beater resulted in a block by Chris Paul. While Doncic was disappointed with his performance, it is situations like these that only foster the growth of a talent like Doncic. The Mavericks may have lost, Rick Carlisle’s faith in a nineteen-year-old rookie something to take note of.

San Antonio Spurs Roster Notes

F Rudy Gay – 9 Mar 2019 – Day To Day (Illness) – Gay is listed as Questionable for Sunday’s (Mar 10) game.

G Dejounte Murray – 13 Feb 2019 – Out For Season (Knee) – Murray is now four months since having surgery to repair his torn ACL, but is still a long way from returning.

Dallas Mavericks Roster Notes

G JJ Barea – 14 Feb 2019 – Out For Season (Lower Leg) – Recovery from Achilles surgery will be anywhere from 6-9 months, according to Dwain Price of Mavs.com

F Maxi Kleber – 9 Mar 2019 – Day To Day (Knee) – Kleber was listed as Questionable for Sunday’s (Mar 10) game.

F Kristaps Porzingis – 4 Feb 2019 – Out For Season (Knee) – Porzingis confirmed in a news conference that he will not play in the 2018-19 season.

Head-to-Head: LaMarcus Aldridge (SAS) vs Luka Doncic (DAL)

While they won’t see too much time defending each other, both LaMarcus Aldridge and Luka Doncic are crucial to the success of their squads. Aldridge was incredible in his last game, a win over the Milwaukee Bucks. On the other side Doncic failed to have his signature effect on the game and will look to rebound against the Spurs.

LaMarcus Aldridge

Power Forward | 6-11, 260lb (211cm, 117kg) | Texas | Exp. 12 Years

21.1 PPG | 2.4 APG | 8.9 RPG | 0.5 SPG | 1.2 BPG | 1.9 TOV | .513 FG% | .250 3P%

Combined with Demar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge was brilliant against the Bucks. In a “super-big” lineup, Aldridge posted 29 points, 15 rebounds, and two blocks on 14-26 shooting. The Mavericks don’t have a big that can challenge Aldridge in the paint, so expect him to be as assertive as ever in the two-man game with DeRozan.

Luka Doncic

Shooting Guard | 6-7, 218lb (201cm, 98kg) | Real Madrid/Slovenia | Rookie

21.1 PPG | 5.6 APG | 7.3 RPG | 1.1 SPG | 0.3 BPG | 3.3 TOV | .434 FG% | .349 3P%

Luka usually takes all the headlines for the Mavericks but in his last game against the Rockets, they fell short. Doncic displayed a poor shooting night but tried to make up for it in other areas with a 19 point, 15 rebound, 9 assist, 2 blocks, and 2 steal contribution. He was all over the court, but his shooting and inability to stop the ball hurt the Mavericks. He will be challenged in a similar way against the Spurs’ motion offense, so Doncic has an immediate opportunity to redeem himself.

San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks Predictions and Odds

The oddsmakers have the San Antonio Spurs favored over the Dallas Mavericks by 5.5, with an over/under of 109.