Milwaukee Bucks at Dallas Mavericks Betting Preview/Player Prop

The Dallas Mavericks host the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, and this could be an exciting game. Both teams have been playing well of late, and two of the best players in the NBA could be on the floor for this matchup.

Milwaukee comes into this game with a record of 32-18, which has them near the top of the Eastern Conference yet again. The Bucks are used to being in this position, but this team still has plenty to prove when the playoffs begin.

Dallas recently had a five-game winning streak snapped, but this team is still trending in the right direction. The Mavericks bring a 28-22 record into Thursday night, and they lead the Southwest Division.

The Milwaukee Bucks are 1.5-point favorites over the Dallas Mavericks.

Milwaukee Making Shots

The Milwaukee Bucks are currently averaging 119 points per game, which is best in the NBA. Few teams play as fast as Milwaukee, but this team also has the ability to shoot the ball really well from the outside as they are shooting better than 39 percent from deep.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is leading the team with more than 28 points and 6.2 assists per game, but he is dealing with a knee injury at this time. The “Greek Freak” might not be suiting up on Thursday night, but Milwaukee has enough depth to still be competitive.

Jrue Holiday just signed a massive extension to stay in Milwaukee, and he and Khris Middleton will need to step up. Milwaukee will give up some points, but they are just so explosive on the offensive end of the floor.

Mavericks Must Slow it Down

If the Dallas Mavericks are going to beat the Bucks on Thursday night, then they must find a way to slow down the pace. Dallas is a team that wants to score on the offensive end, but they don’t have as many weapons as the Mavericks.

Point guard Luka Doncic is leading the Mavericks with 28.5 points and 8.7 assists per game, and he is one of the best in the NBA. Doncic has the ability to completely take over a game, but he would prefer getting some help from his teammates.

Dallas is scoring 111.4 points per game while holding teams to 111.1 points on the other end. The Mavericks are a solid team, but they have yet to turn the corner to becoming elite.

Shorthanded Bucks Beat Mavericks

Even if Antetokounmpo is able to suit up on Thursday night, he is not going to be at 100 percent. Few NBA teams could survive without their best player being on the floor, but Milwaukee is loaded with offensive weapons.

Dallas just hasn’t been scoring enough points of late, and they simply won’t be able to keep up with the explosive Bucks. The Mavericks will keep this game interesting at home for a while, but Milwaukee will take control of this game in the fourth quarter.

Bet the Milwaukee Bucks -1.5 over the Dallas Mavericks in this massive NBA matchup on Thursday night.

Player Prop

Jrue Holiday Over 22.5 Points (-118)

The Bucks have gotten exactly what they wanted when they gave up Eric Bledsoe, George Hill and some picks to acquire Holiday from the Pelicans. On the season, the veteran point guard is averaging 17 points, 5.4 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals on the season.

And those numbers have been on the rise. Holiday was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 26.8 points, 8.5 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 steals in four contests.

He hasn’t slowed down this week either as he’s coming off a 29-point performance on 11-of-18 shooting (4-of-7 from 3) against the Warriors on Monday.

All of this led to the Bucks signing the 30-year-old to a 4-year extension at $135 million on Sunday.

With Holiday seemingly getting more comfortable with his role with each game and now a long-term fixture in Milwaukee’s future plans, we’ll take him to keep his offensive production up tonight and go Over 22.5 Points (-118).

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