NBA picks: Mavericks vs. Nuggets prediction, odds, over/under, spread, injury report for Friday, Nov. 3

According to Shams Charania, Irving is expected to make his return to the court tonight. The line has moved a bit to Nuggets -5.5, and the total has jumped to 228. We’ll stick with our selections, keeping the Mavs as the ATS pick and the over as the total pick.

The Dallas Mavericks (4-0) hope to stay undefeated when they face the Denver Nuggets (4-1) Friday evening as part of the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament. The Mavericks are coming off a win over the Bulls, while the Nuggets suffered their first setback of the season at the hands of the Timberwolves.

Kyrie Irving remains questionable with a foot injury. He’s missed the last two games with this issue. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are both listed as probable on the first night of a back-to-back set for Denver.

The Nuggets are 6.5-point favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total coming in at 225.5. Denver is -270 on the moneyline, while Dallas is +220.

Mavericks vs. Nuggets, 10 p.m. ET

Pick ATS: Mavericks +6.5

The teams split their four meetings a year ago, which all took place prior to Dallas getting Irving. Even if he doesn’t suit up, the Mavericks have been on fire to begin the season. Luka Doncic should bounce back from a relatively quiet outing against Chicago, and he’ll try to make a statement against two-time MVP Jokic as the Slovenian seeks his first MVP honor. The Nuggets should play better than they did against the Timberwolves, but Dallas is on a tear right now and should cover this line.

Over/Under: Over 225.5

The Mavericks are one of the best offensive teams in the league to start the season, ranking third in points per game and second in offensive rating. The Nuggets aren’t too shabby here either, ranking 18th in points per game but ninth in rating. Denver’s defense has been good to start the year, so this will be a good test for Dallas’ offense. In the four meetings a season ago, the teams topped this line three times. Even with the Nuggets going under their totals in every single game this year, take the over tonight.