Game 7 Dallas Mavericks vs Los Angeles Clippers Betting Odds, Lines Picks & Predictions

The only Game 7 of the First Round of 2021 NBA Playoffs takes place on Sunday night. In the series where we still haven’t seen a home win, the Clippers host the Mavericks at the Staples Center. Dallas will hope for a 4th straight road win in this series and their 6th win away from home in the last 10 games. Overall, Dallas is now 45-33 straight up this season and 38-40 against the spread. The Clippers will look to build on a solid defensive performance in Game 6 and push through to the second round. They’ve been rather inconsistent over the last month, going 7-8 in the last 15 games. Over the whole season, they’re 50-28 SU and 42-35-1 ATS. Including playoff games, the two teams have met 9 times this season. The Mavs have the upper hand so far, winning 5 times.

Line Movement

The opening lines favored the Clippers by -7. However, as most of the early money went against them, the line has dropped to -6.5 or even -6 with some bookies. The total saw even more movement. The initial 216 total has moved by a whole 6 points and now stands at 210.

Notes on Dallas Mavericks

Dallas has exceeded the expectations so far and, against all odds, reached Games 7. They even had a great chance to put the series away in Game 6. However, the poor showing in the 4th quarter and superhuman performance for Kahwi Leonard took the series back to LA. To get anything on Sunday, they’ll need someone else besides Doncic and Hardaway to step up. Luka had a 32.5% Usage Rate in game 6 while under constant pressure for opposing defense. He was guarded by Leonard for the better part of the game but managed to score 29 and had 11 assists. Still, his shooting let him down as he went only 2-9 from the deep. The main issue for Dallas is continued poor performance from Porzingis. The Latvian big man has struggled through the series and finished the last game with only 7 points. Better showing from him and improved shooting are necessary for Dallas to win on Sunday.

The Mavericks continue to play without JJ Reddick. Luka and Kleber are listed as questionable but expect them both to play.

Notes on Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers were close to getting knocked out of the playoffs, but the historic clutch performance from Kahwi got them Game 7. Leonard scored 12 points in the final quarter, shooting 5-5. It was a welcome return to form for the Clippers’ best player who scored only 20 in Game 5. Plus, Leonard was excellent on the other end of the court. Dallas players shot only 4-from-13 with him as a primary defender. Reggie Jackson also had a surprisingly great game with 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists. Paul George scored 20 but shot only 6-15 from the field and 2-7 for three. It was a poor shooting night for the Clips overall, as they went 10-34 from beyond the arch. On Sunday, the Clippers will hope to build on the great defensive performance from Game 6 and get their shooting in order. Also, they’ll need at least something from their bench. In Game 6, the second unit scored only 4 points.

The only name on the injury report for the Clippers is Ibaka who is listed as questionable.

Betting Pick: Dallas +6.5

The Clippers are still favorites to win tonight, but it won’t be easy. We expect a tight and hard*hard-fought game going down to the wire. The spread is just too big for Game 7.