New Orleans Hornets visit Dallas Mavericks in Southwest division clash
The New Orleans Hornets and the Dallas Mavericks will play in the middle of this week. These teams have both clinched spots in the Western Conference playoffs and they are gearing up to make a run towards the NBA Championship.
NBA basketball betting has Dallas at 8-1 to win the NBA championship this season.
The Mavericks are currently in the 3rd spot in the Western Conference standings and the Hornets are in the 7th spot. The Hornets are in the 7th spot in the standings, but could finish anywhere between the 6th spot and the 8th spot as the teams are all within one game of each other.
There is a decent chance that these teams will end up playing each other in the first round of the playoffs as the Mavericks will likely end up in the 2nd or 3rd spot in the standings and a win over the Hornets will likely improve their NBA playoff picks. This would actually be a favorable matchup for both teams. The Grizzlies and Blazers are much scarier for the top teams to face than the Hornets and the Mavericks are not nearly as intimidating as the Lakers or the Spurs.
This game should have a playoff type of atmosphere as both teams try to gain some momentum before the first round commences. Look for Chris Paul to begin to assert himself more offensively as the team will need him to carry even more of the scoring load during the playoffs.
The Mavericks need to find some help for Dirk Nowitzki. There have been times in his career that he has disappeared for stretches during the playoffs and they need someone to rely on in case he doesn’t come through.