Tonight’s only NBA game is a matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz at 9:00 p.m. ET.
The pregame narrative: Dallas is a massive road favourite against the downtrodden Jazz, who are 2-8 with the league’s worst net rating. I expect Kyrie Irving to clear his point total and Dereck Lively II to be active on the glass.
Check out my Mavericks vs. Jazz props for Nov. 14.
Mavericks vs. Jazz props
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Best Bet: Irving over 24.5 points (-125)
This should simply come down to shot volume for Irving.
I backed Dallas’ point guard to go over 25.5 points against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday and that missed, but he still scored 21 on efficient 8-of-13 shooting.
He was third to Luka Doncic and Klay Thompson in field goal attempts in that game, who both shot below 50.0%. Maybe the Mavs would have won that game had Irving gotten a few more looks, but I digress.
Kyrie is on fire, shooting an incredible 61.1% from the field this month and 48.3% from deep.
On Sunday he dropped 43 points on the Denver Nuggets on 17-of-22 shooting (77.3%). The game before that he put up 29 against the Phoenix Suns while making 10-of-17 (58.8%).
The Jazz are a horrible defensive team that gives up the second-most points per game to shooting guards, per Fantasy Pros. This should be a game where Irving leads the charge.
Key stat: Irving has cleared this mark in five of his last eight games while averaging 27.1 points.
Quick pick
Lively over 8.5 rebounds (+100): The Mavericks are getting solid production out of Daniel Gafford but could use Lively more.
Dallas sits 26th in rebounding rate and the 7-foot-1 sophomore is a fiend on the glass — and an efficient scorer to boot (70.0 FG% this season).
He’s recorded double-digit boards in three of seven games while averaging 8.1 rebounds on just 23.1 minutes a night.
Lively had eight boards against the Warriors in his return from injury and should feast against a Jazz team allowing the fourth-most rebounds per game to opposing centres.
Picks made at 10:50 a.m. ET 11/14/2024.
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.