Mavericks vs Clippers Game 1 Prediction & Best Bets: Will Doncic and Dallas Dazzle on the Road?

Despite being the higher seed and having homecourt advantage, the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers are the underdog for their first-round matchup with the fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks. A win in today’s series opener (3:30 pm ET, ABC) won’t necessarily alter that forecast significantly, but it will get L.A. off on the right foot.

The Clippers (51-31) finished one game ahead of the Mavericks (50-32) in the Western Conference standings, so they earned a valuable extra home game and the opportunity to host the first two games of the series.

But with Kawhi Leonard’s status for the start of the series up in the air due to persistent right knee inflammation, oddsmakers give the Mavs the edge. At BetOnline, Dallas is a -165 favorite to win the series, with Los Angeles coming in at +145.

Kawhi is officially listed as questionable for Game 1, which isn’t a telling sign of his availability. In a lot of instances, questionable means that someone will more than likely play, but that might not be the case here.

Can the Clippers win if they have to play without the two-time NBA Finals MVP? They were 7-7 without him in the regular season, which is neither encouraging nor discouraging. However, there are some numbers that tip the scales in one team’s direction. Which direction is that? Read on to find out.

Dallas Mavericks vs Los Angeles Clippers Odds

Odds are courtesy of BetOnline, a longtime fixture among the top online sports betting sites. Check out our BetOnline sportsbook review, then bag a big bonus (100% if your first deposit is with Bitcoin, Ethereum, or another cryptocurrency) to bet on today’s NBA playoff action.

Spread

• Dallas Mavericks -3 (-105)
• Los Angeles Clippers +3 (-115)

Over/Under

• Over 222 (-110)
• Under 222 (-110)

Moneyline

• Dallas Mavericks -145
• Los Angeles Clippers +125

Get free and reliable moneyline, spread, and over/under consensus picks for every NBA matchup, including this one, from our NBA picks page.

Dallas Mavericks vs Los Angeles Clippers Prediction and Best Bets

Even if Kawhi was certain to play this afternoon, there would be a lot of reasons to like the Mavericks to come away from Crypto.com Arena with a 1-0 series lead.

In the regular season, 22 of the league’s 30 teams were favored on the road ten or more times (according to Team Rankings).

Of those 22 teams, no one’s ATS record comes remotely close to touching Dallas’s 19-4 (82.6%) mark. Next best is New York, with the Knicks coming in at 11-5-1 (68.8%). The Golden State Warriors, whose season has ended, are third (15-7, 68.2%).

When it comes to outright wins as a road favorite, the Mavericks are also first with a 20-3 mark (87.0%), edging out the Warriors (19-3, 86.4%).

Dallas was also one of five teams to finish with 25 or more road wins and one of four to finish with 25+ home wins and 25+ road wins. The Celtics, Clippers, Timberwolves, and Warriors also finished with 25+ road wins, while the Celtics, Clippers, and Timberwolves also had 25+ home wins.

All of that alone is enough to back Dallas here. But it’s also worth noting that, among the 16 playoff teams, the Clippers have one of the worst records as a home favorite.

On the surface, 24-12 (66.7%) is not bad at all. After all, 15 teams in the league, including six who made the play-in or playoffs, finished with 24 or fewer overall home wins this season.

But among playoff teams, only the Indiana Pacers (18-11, 62.1%) and New Orleans Pelicans (17-14, 54.8%) have been worse as a home favorite.

Their ATS results as a home favorite are marginally better in terms of position but are still subpar. At 17-19 (47.2%), the Clippers are better than only four other playoff teams: the Cleveland Cavaliers (15-17-1, 46.9%), Milwaukee Bucks (16-20-1, 44.4%), Phoenix Suns (15-19-1, 44.1%), and Minnesota Timberwolves (15-21-2, 41.7%).

Mavericks vs Clippers Prediction: Mavericks to win and cover

Mavericks vs Clippers Best Bets: Mavericks -3 & Mavericks team total over 112.5 (-110 at BetOnline)

Other NBA Playoffs Betting Information

Where to Bet on the NBA Playoffs

Many of the top online sportsbooks offer a wide variety of NBA betting odds throughout the season.

In addition to being able to bet on 2024 NBA championship odds, you can make daily NBA picks on odds for every game all season long, including NBA playoffs odds.

Also, you can bet on the All-Star Game, NBA Draft odds, and the major awards like NBA MVP, NBA Rookie of the Year, and more at most reputable sports betting sites.

There are plenty of sports betting sites you can choose from that are good for NBA betting. In addition to BetOnline, here are several books that we have reviewed and highly recommend:

• BetDSI (review)
• BetUS (review)
• Bookmaker (review)
• Bovada (review)
• MyBookie (review)
• Sportsbetting.ag (review)

If you don’t have an account at a book on this list, check out our reviews to help you determine if it is worth your interest and your betting funds.

Looking to make some player prop picks for Game 1 at Crypto.com Arena? Bovada is one of the best sports betting sites for NBA player props, as they offer a plethora of prop markets for every game on the schedule. They also have a hefty welcome bonus for cryptocurrency users (75% up to $750).

Interested in Learning More About NBA Betting?

Looking to learn more about the ins and outs of betting on the NBA? Check out our NBA betting guide. Also, if you’d like to learn more about NBA player prop bets, check out our NBA player props guide.

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BetOnline is running a $10,000 NBA playoff bracket contest, which will award $500 to the winner. Don’t miss out on your chance to cop some extra cash. Entries are open until tomorrow night (Monday, April 22) at 7:00 pm ET.