NBA picks: Mavericks vs. Knicks prediction, odds, over/under, spread, injury report for Thursday, Feb. 8

Brunson has been ruled out, and Anunoby is expected to miss three weeks after a procedure to repair damage in his elbow. The Mavericks are now 5-point favorites and the total is set at 225.5. I like Dallas as the ATS pick and I still like the over on the total, even with Brunson out for New York.

The Mavericks are trading Grant Williams and Seth Curry to the Hornets for PJ Washington. We don’t know if Washington will be joining Dallas tonight but we do know Williams and Curry won’t be suiting up. The line hasn’t changed and neither have the ATS and total picks.

The Dallas Mavericks (28-23) and New York Knicks (33-18) will complete their season series Thursday as both squads look to keep their winning ways going. The Mavericks have won two in a row as they get healthy again, while the Knicks won their last game against the Grizzlies. Dallas won the previous meeting 128-124 despite missing Luka Doncic and Dereck Lively, while the Knicks had Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby in the mix.

Doncic and Kyrie Irving are probable for Dallas, while Maxi Kleber is questionable. Lively remains out. Anunoby and Randle are both out for New York, while Brunson is listed as questionable. Quentin Grimes is also out for the Knicks.

The Mavericks are 3.5-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total coming in at 228.5. Dallas is -166 on the moneyline while New York is +140.

Mavericks vs. Knicks, 7:30 p.m. ET

Pick ATS: Mavericks -3.5

Dallas covered this line in the previous meeting against New York despite having some injury issues, which is now a problem for the Knicks. Brunson’s ankle injury isn’t as severe as initially thought with his “questionable” tag but he still might be rested here. Doncic and Irving being back in the lineup is huge for the Mavericks, who have won and covered in each of their last two games.

The Knicks had seven straight covers before failing to cover in the last two games, and have some gaping holes in the rotation. Even if Brunson does suit up, I think the Mavericks have the talent advantage in this one. Give me Dallas to win and cover Thursday.

Over/Under: Over 228.5

The Mavericks have gone under their totals in the last four games and eight of the last 10. The Knicks have gone under their totals in 11 of the last 13 games. And yet, the last matchup between these teams went well over this number despite some personnel missing. I’ll buck the trend here and take the over in this matchup.