by Chuck Sommers
Monday, Dec 13, 2021
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Venue: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
Where to watch: Bally Sports Southwest-Dallas, Bally Sports Southeast-Charlotte
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Mavericks -3
BetMGM: Mavericks -3.5
Caesars: Mavericks -3.5
Season record
Hornets: 15-13 (8th place, Eastern Conference)
Mavericks: 13-13 (7th place, Western Conference)
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Hornets - Mavericks preview and analysis
Sometimes the betting world can be insane and it drives your own self to the brink of the unknown. All of that is to say I like the Dallas Mavericks in Monday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets.
Why on Earth would I even entertain the thought of a Mavs team without Luka Doncic, on the second night of a back-to-back, to win again? Because I’m a fan of watching things burn to the ground while laughing maniacally.
The Mavs are coming off a 19-point road win against the Oklahoma City Thunder without Doncic. Dallas’ superstar will be held out of Monday’s game, much like Sunday, due to ankle inflammation he sustained Friday against the Indiana Pacers.
Noted sixth man Jalen Brunson led the Mavs with 18 points while starting in place of Doncic, and Maxi Kleber had 16 points and seven rebounds off the bench. To add: Moses Brown had another one of his fun stints where he dominated in short time, scoring 15 points and having two blocks in 20 minutes.
“We just tried to find ways to be productive without one of the best players in the game,” Brunson said after the Mavs won their first game this season out of five without Doncic. “It’s tough, but we just kept playing off each other, keep being aggressive and finding each other. We tried to play with pace and get easy baskets whenever we can.”
Doncic out normally means Kristaps Porzingis can carry the load, but the big man was held to just 13 points and seven rebounds on 6 of 17 shooting. In a season of inconsistency, he needs to be better. But there should be optimism for Porzingis to have a much better game shooting the ball against a banged-up Charlotte team.
The Hornets are down four key players, including last year’s Rookie of the Year in LaMelo Ball. But despite that, the Hornets are coming off a 124-123 win against the Sacramento Kings. James Bouknight had a team-high 24 points off the bench, and Miles Bridges had 23 for Charlotte’s second win in only seven games.
"Just the resiliency of this team, to never give in, the fight, the perseverance and just the buy in of this group is just, I love this group," Hornets coach James Borrego said. "They never give up. We had seven of our top 10 rotation players out and those guys in that locker room deserve all the credit. They battled until the last second and they deserve all the credit."
Prediction
The Hornets are getting Terry Rozier back, based on the latest injury report, which is good news. But Dallas’ defense may be too strong of a unit to handle a depleted Hornets backcourt. I like the Mavs to win a second straight in an unusual SEGABABA situation where they’ll handle business. Mavs by 13
Betting trends
The Hornets are 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings in Dallas.
The under has cashed in five of the last seven meetings.
The Mavericks are 56-56 ATS as a favorite over the past three seasons.
Projected starting lineup
Hornets:
PG: Cody Martin
SG: Terry Rozier
SF: Gordon Hayward
PF: Miles Bridges
C: P.J. Washington
SF: Gordon Hayward
PF: Miles Bridges
C: P.J. Washington
Mavericks:
PG: Jalen Brunson
SG: Reggie Bullock
SF: Dorian Finney-Smith
PF: Kristaps Porzingis
C: Dwight Powell
SF: Dorian Finney-Smith
PF: Kristaps Porzingis
C: Dwight Powell
Key injuries
Hornets: LaMelo Ball (COVID, out), Mason Plumlee (COVID, out), Ish Smith (COVID, out), Jalen McDaniels (COVID, out)
Mavericks: Luka Doncic (ankle, out), Willie Cauley-Stein (personal, out), Sterling Brown (foot, out)
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
