Kyrie Irving had just nine points in the Mavs Game 2 upset victory over the Thunder. However, the oft-criticized guard contributed in other ways, dishing out 11 assists with a pair of steals and two blocks in 41 minutes. Irving has stepped up his defensive play over the last month and has racked up more than 1.5 steals in nine of his last 10 games. With the guard not filling up the hoop at his usual rate, expect him to stay focused on the defensive end of the floor and cut off passing lanes while pressuring the ball.
OKC destroyed the Mavericks in Gm 1 and while the Mavs bounced back with a 119-110 win in Gm 2, I don't see them replicating that success tonight. Keep in mind that the Mavs went 18-for-37 (48.6%) from deep in that contest but entered that game with a middling 36.7 3PT% and the Thunder are typically much better at defending threes. OKC had several defensive lapses in that game which was surprising for a team that finished the regular fourth in the NBA in defensive rating and has the highest rated defense in the playoffs. Expect them to be much better on that end of the floor tonight. That's the biggest difference between these squads since Dallas was just 18th in the league in defensive rating in the regular season. Defense tends to win games in the playoffs and I'll back the far better defensive squad to bounce back with a win at plus money here.
Total PicksOKC 311, DAL 199
fishercz is #1 on picking games that Dallas are in with a record of (45-36-1) and +13250 units on the season.
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