Steve Merril
Friday, Jan. 8
NBA
(3% play) OVER 204.5/205 (Mavericks/Bucks) - 8:05 pm ET #859
Dallas and Milwaukee just played twelve days ago with the Mavericks winning 103-93 at home. That game was played at a quick pace as the teams combined to take 163 shots from the field, including 36 attempts from three-point land. The shooting wasn’t all that good either, but the teams still combined to score 196 points. Dallas shot just 45.2% (38-84) from the field. The Mavericks only scored 17 points from the free-throw line after getting 26 attempts, so they left 9 free points on the court. Dallas did well in transition as they scored 19 points on the fast-break. The Mavericks also scored a lot of easy baskets with 46 of their total points coming inside the paint. Dallas’ offense comes into this game in terrific current form as they’ve scored 100 points or more in six of their last eight games.
Milwaukee shot the ball terribly from three-point land in that earlier game against Dallas. The Bucks hit just 28.6% (4-14) from beyond the arc, and they added 13 points on just 15 attempts from the free-throw line. Milwaukee also scored a lot of easy baskets as 40 of their total points came from inside the paint. The Bucks’ offense is in excellent current form; they’ve averaged 108.4 points per game on 48.5% shooting from the field and 44.6% shooting from three-point land over their last five games. “We’re not playing any defense,” sidelined head coach Jason Kidd said. “We’re just focused on shooting and scoring the ball.” These two teams just scored 196 points without great shooting and limited free-throw attempts. With normal shooting and additional trips to the line, we expect a high-scoring game between the Mavericks and Bucks on Friday night.
Play OVER (Mavericks/Bucks) as a 3% play.