Dallas at Minnesota

Last year the Mavericks showed signs of a team heading down the curve. They went 101-30 prior to their last 33 games last season when they closed 17-16. The problem is defense. The Mavs allowed 106.5 ppg on the road in their last 10 a year ago, and they opened up this season allowing 112 at home to Houston. The T-Wolves are a very young team that has made strides over the 5-34 team that started last season to finish 12-12 at home. They had trouble defending good teams at home last year, but were able to compete with them offensively as they were 5-3 as a home dog down the stretch. With Dallas showing age and no commitment on the defensive end, and Minnesota not quite ready to stop good offensive teams, I like this one to go OVER the total. I will also back the Mavs here on the moneyline. Although the T-Wolves were 5-3 ATS down the stretch as a home dog, they needed the points as they were just 5-22 SU at home against playoff-caliber teams.