Pistons vs. Mavericks prediction and odds for Monday, January 30

There’s bad news in Dallas, not only are the Mavericks just one game over .500 a season after going to the Western Conference Finals last season, but Luka Doncic is questionable again tonight after missing Saturday’s loss to the Utah Jazz.

Even with Spencer Dinwiddie’s 35 points, the Mavs still fell 108-100 and didn’t have enough offense. It doesn’t help that Christian Wood is out with a hand injury too.

Tonight, the Detroit Pistons are in town, so it’s a good spot to get back into the win column, but with Luka’s status up in the air, the spread might be a little too big.

Pistons vs. Mavericks odds, spread and total

Pistons vs. Mavericks prediction and pick

The Mavericks are obviously difficult to trust as a big favorite without Luka, but even with him they’re rarely a good bet. Dallas is 17-32-2 against the spread this season, one of the worst ATS records in the NBA.

They struggle to cover as a big favorite in large part because they are 29th in pace of play. That means they need to be a hyper-efficient offense to score and blow teams out. They’re not getting extra possessions and aren’t interested in turning the game into a track meet.

Luka is such an elite half-court decision maker that they can thrive with this style, but he’s questionable tonight, so I’m not willing to trust Dallas.

The Mavericks are third in 3-point attempts per game, so if those shots fall they can post a big number on any given night, but I’ll trust their pace as something much more reliable.

With Christian Wood out, Luka questionable and the Mavericks being a top 10 scoring defense, I’ll take the under in this one.

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change