Dallas Mavericks at Philadelphia 76ers (+3, 195)
Going back to the days of Don Nelson – when the Mavericks first rose to NBA prominence – there wasn’t much defense being played in the Big D.
Under new tutelage like Avery Johnson and now Rick Carlisle, the Mavs improved their defensive efforts but the offseason acquisition of Shawn Marion may have been just what Dallas needed to go deep in the Western Conference playoffs.
The Matrix rejected a Caron Butler jumper with 1.9 seconds left to secure a 94-93 victory over Washington Wednesday. Dallas recorded nine blocks and nine steals in the game.
"Winning on a defensive possession, you wouldn't say that in the past about the Mavericks," Jason Kidd said. "This year, we've really focused on playing defense. We looked at the last champions and said, 'Hey, they all played defense.'”
The Mavs blew some early leads Wednesday and failed to cover against an inferior Wizards team, but don’t expect the team to play down to the level of competition two games in a row.
Pick: Mavericks
Charlotte Bobcats at Atlanta Hawks (-6.5, 189.5)
A big reason for Charlotte’s turnaround season has been improved play on the defensive side of the ball. The Bobcats rank first in the NBA in points allowed, holding opponents to a 92.2 points per game average.
On Wednesday, Charlotte cranked up the intensity a notch and held the Heat to a season-low 65 points. Miami shot less than 29 percent from the floor and only hit two of its 23 3-point attempts.
The Hawks are no slouch either when it comes to shutting down opposing offenses. Teams are posting 97.4 ppg versus the sizzling hot team from Hotlanta and over the last five games the Hawks have held opponents to a mere 94 points per outing.
The over has cashed in three straight in this series, but don’t let that fool you. Not one total during those games exceeded 183 points and these two teams combined to score 190.3 ppg during that stretch.
The last time the total was posted at 189.5 in this series came in November of last season and the ‘Cats and Hawks combined to score 171 points.
Pick: Under
