Los Angeles at Dallas

Dallas is back to their winning ways as they have now logged six wins in their last seven games. This is a team that rolled through the NBA season last year taking no prisoners, en route to collecting 67 wins. The approach has been much different this year. In their first 20 wins (through Dec. 22nd) last year, the Mavs were winning games by an average of 13.1 points per game, and 60% of their wins were by double-digits or more. This season they have collected just 38.9% of their wins by double-digits, to an average of 9.1 ppg. Most of that was collected early, as in their last 13 wins the margins have been shorter, with not a single win by more than 13 points, and only four by double-digits. The average has been just 7.38 ppg. It has become quite evident that this team isn't playing the regular season with the same intensity, but they are winning games - just not by such gaudy margins. That evidence is clear in the fact that they have covered a point spread of 8.5 or more just four times in 13 tries. The Clippers are very injured but still have their top three scorers healthy enough to hang with a disinterested Mavs team. The Clippers have been staying close in games, as evidenced by their last seven - all as an underdog, covering five of them. We like the Clippers to land closer than the huge number posted for this one.