Mavericks vs Clippers Picks and Predictions: PG Crashes Kyrie's Welcome Party

After the dice roll of all dice rolls, the Kyrie Irving experience has landed in Dallas and he’s expected to make his Mavericks debut tonight in a must-watch showdown against the Los Angeles Clippers.

With the West wide open, the Mavericks now have a co-star for Luka Doncic, and while we’ll have to wait to see that duo together (Doncic is still recovering from a heel injury), Dallas is fresh off an impressive 124-111 win over the Jazz to start the week.

Meanwhile, the Clippers are quietly surging and took down Irving’s former team on Monday, with a 124-116 victory over the depleted Nets as Paul George and Kawhi Leonard combined for 53 points.

Get the lowdown on tonight’s matchup with our free Mavericks vs. Clippers NBA betting picks for Wednesday, February 8.

Mavericks vs Clippers best odds

Mavericks vs Clippers picks and predictions

The Los Angeles Clippers made themselves at home in New York to wrap up a six-game road trip earlier this week, beating the Knicks and Nets to climb to 31-26. Even better, Paul George was in the type of masterful form that will have L.A. dreaming about a Finals run.

PG13 sliced through the Nets on Monday with a 29-point performance, two days after seeing off the Knicks in overtime with five triples on the way to 30 points. Those are superstar numbers — and he’s doing it efficiently too (a combined 19-for-36 from the field in those last two games).

I expect George to keep motoring tonight and post similar numbers. The Dallas Mavericks traded away their best perimeter defender — Dorian Finney-Smith — so there’s now an even clearer path to finding favorable mismatches. If Reggie Bullock gets the Kawhi Leonard assignment, who’s slowing down PG13?

While there can sometimes be a letdown in the first home game after a long road swing, I don’t see that happening for George and the Clippers tonight, with every win so priceless in the West’s tight postseason race — and with Ty Lue acknowledging this week that he’s in “playoff mode” with his rotation.

Of course, if the chips had landed differently, Irving could have been making his debut alongside George and Leonard here for the Clippers, who were among the teams linked with the star guard before the trade to Dallas. Still, the hosts have the luxury of a loaded bench and lots of wing depth, so PG shouldn’t be over-taxed on the defensive end.

In what could well be a playoff preview, I expect George to stay hot and get enough good looks to cash in this prop.

My best bet: Paul George Over 23.5 points (-105)

Mavericks vs Clippers spread analysis

The Clippers enter as 7.5-point favorites, and that’s a line that surely assumes Doncic’s heel injury will keep him out again. Regardless, there’s good reason to like the hosts tonight. They’re one of the hottest teams in a tightly-packed Western Conference and, with most of their injury woes behind them, they’ve won eight of their last 10 games.

Though the Mavericks have covered the spread in their last four games against teams with a winning record, Doncic’s absence here clouds most of the recent trends. Josh Green seized his chance on Monday night with 29 points on 10-for-17 shooting, and rookie Jaden Hardy matched him with 29 points of his own, but facing wing defenders like George and Leonard tonight will be a very different proposition.

Irving should see plenty of the ball in his Dallas debut, but the Mavericks’ defense looks worryingly short on perimeter stoppers after Finney-Smith headed to Brooklyn in the Kyrie Irving trade and their depth has taken a hit. That’s where the Clippers have a major edge, with Norman Powell, Nic Batum, Luke Kennard, and Reggie Jackson providing a spark off the bench.

Mavericks vs Clippers Over/Under analysis

These teams each scored 124 points in their Monday night wins, but keep in mind that they both rank in the bottom third of the league in points per game. The Clippers were held to 105 points last week against the Bucks, and the offense can get stagnant without a true point guard in their starting five.

If their prior meetings this season are any indication, don’t expect a shootout. They combined for 210 points and 214 points in their two January showdowns — and that was with Doncic available.

The Under has hit in the Clippers’ last four games against teams with a winning record and it’s 6-1 in their last seven games following an ATS loss. With Doncic doubtful and Irving still getting acclimated with his new teammates, it’s reasonable to expect a somewhat disjointed outing from Dallas offensively.

Mavericks vs Clippers betting trend to know

As much as Doncic has given the Clippers fits in prior matchups, including two tense playoff series, the Mavericks are 0-4 ATS in the teams’ last four meetings. Find more NBA betting trends for Mavericks vs. Clippers.

Mavericks vs Clippers game info

Mavericks vs Clippers key injuries

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