Klay Thompson returns to San Francisco for the first time since leaving the Golden State Warriors.
The pregame narrative: Thompson’s reign as a Splash Brother was unforgettable but I’m looking to Kyrie Irving to produce for the Dallas Mavericks tonight. Draymond Green is also in line for a big rebounding game.
Check out my Mavericks vs. Warriors props for Nov. 12.
Mavericks vs. Warriors props
Go to full NBA betting markets
Best Bet: Irving over 25.5 points (-108)
Thompson was acquired to provide efficient tertiary scoring and he hasn’t supplied it yet.
The veteran shooting guard is averaging 13.8 points on 41.8% shooting with two-thirds of his field goal attempts coming from beyond the arc.
Luka Doncic and Thompson are the team’s deep threats which has allowed Irving to do a ton of damage from the mid-range.
Last year, Irving averaged 25.6 points per game while attempting 7.3 threes a night. He’s putting up identical PPG numbers this season but has only attempted 5.8 threes with Thompson in the mix.
That should bode well for his point production against the Warriors.
Golden State has been elite at defending the perimeter but not the mid-range, according to Cleaning the Glass. It’s held opponents to the lowest 3-point percentage (31.9%) but is giving up the eighth-highest mid-range shooting percentage (43.1%).
Irving takes 46% of his shots in the mid-range which ranks in the 97th percentile for all NBA players.
Key stat: Irving has cleared this mark in five of his last seven games while averaging 28.0 points.
Quick pick
Green over 5.5 rebounds (-120): The Mavericks have had a serious rebounding problem this year.
They are 28th in rebounding rate and are giving up the ninth-most rebounds per game to opposing power forwards, according to fantasy pros.
Dereck Lively II is officially listed as questionable tonight and his return would be big for Dallas. But he was only playing 23.0 minutes a night before getting hurt and shouldn’t be a massive impact.
Green is still getting plenty of run in his 13th season and has been active on the glass, averaging 5.1 rebounds per game and clearing this mark in three of his last five.
The veteran cleared this mark in both games versus Dallas last year, logging seven and eight boards.
Picks made at 1:26 p.m. ET 11/12/2024.
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.