The Masters are taking a lot of attention away from the NBA playoffs in sports betting, but you still have a week to go before the second season starts. On Saturday, an inconsistent Dallas team will head to Sacramento, and the Mavericks are trying to find a rhythm as they try to lock down the second spot in the West.
Mavericks vs Kings odds – Saturday, April 10, 10:00 PM ET
The Mavericks tip off a three-game trip through the west coast on Friday in Portland, and they'll be trying to extend their winning streak to two after a 110-84 rout of Memphis on Wednesday, which actually snapped a two-game skid. Caron Butler led a group of six Dallas players in double figures with 23 points, while Dirk Nowitzki had 22, and Butler playing well can only mean more space for Nowitzki and Jason Kidd to operate, and there's always Jason Terry coming off the bench. Some sportsbook thought that the Mavericks had overtaken Denver for the second spot behind the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Mavericks need to show some sort of consistency, especially on defense.
The Kings snapped an eight-game skid with a 116-94 thumping of the Los Angeles Clippers at home on Thursday, led by 28 points, seven assists and six rebounds from Tyreke Evans, the probable Rookie of the Year. Jason Thompson added 22 points and 15 boards for the Kings, who shot 54.3% from the field, and they outrebounded the Clippers 47-32. The Kings have a solid foundation to build on, especially Evans, who is looking to become the second straight first-year player after Chicago's Derrick Rose to win the ROY after coming from John Calipari, and online betting players would wager that Kentucky's John Wall looked at that aspect before declaring for the NBA draft.
The Mavericks should be favored on the road in Sacramento, where they have won four of their last six. Overall, the Mavericks have won eight of their last 10 against the Kings, including five in a row, but they're not blowing them out, beating them by an average of six points in their three meetings this season. The Mavericks have a good chance to move up in the standings as they should be able to win this game, as well as in Los Angeles against the Clippers on Monday. The worry about this game as that the Mavericks could be tired from a Friday night game in Portland against the Trailblazers, but the Kings aren't good enough to take advantage of this. Take the Dallas Mavericks in your NBA betting picks on Saturday night.
