NBA Playoff Game 5 Should be a Doozy Between the Mavs and Jazz
By Charles Jay
Things have gotten pretty interesting in the Western Conference NBA playoff series between the Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks. We’ve had the injury factor, as Luka Doncic returned in Game 4 to put up some strong numbers. But as analysts of the NBA playoff odds at BetAnySports saw, that wasn’t enough to bring the Mavs a victory.
Yes, there was drama, has Utah fought off a 39-point third quarter from Dallas to come from behind and snare a 100-99 victory. Now it’s all knotted up at two games apiece, and Game 5 takes place in Dallas at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time on Monday night.
Here are the numbers….
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At BetAnySports, Dallas is the slight favorite to go ahead in Game 5 and the series:
Dallas Mavericks -3
Utah Jazz + 3
Over 212.5 points -110
Under 212.5 points -110
We should note that Dallas is also a -135 / +115 favorite to win the series at this point.
NBA Playoff Odds & Preview — How the Mavs did without doncic
The superstar missed the first three games of the series, but Dallas managed to survive – and even thrive – because they took advantage of matchups. Of course, it did not hurt that Jalen Brunson was able to pour in 41 points in Game 2. But there was a lot more than that. Max Kleber demonstrated the ability to step out and hit shots from the perimeter as part of a small lineup coach Jason Kidd employed, and that drew Rudy Gobert out of his defensive comfort zone. Utah does not have a lot of defensive stoppers aside from their aircraft carrier, so this created difficulty.
NBA Playoff Odds & Preview — So what about Utah?
Well, if it’s a standard half court game, this is a team that isn’t in bad shape in the paint. Everyone knows about Gobert’s ability to swat away shots, but the Jazz might have the second best shot-blocker in the NBA as well in Hassan Whiteside, who backs him up and has seven blocks in 44 minutes in the series.
They haven’t had a real good shooting game yet, and Dallas isn’t necessarily known as a team with great defense. Donovan Mitchell made just seven of 21 shots in Game 4, and while Gobert got to the free-throw line 18 times in the last game, he missed half those shots.
The bench is still a strength, as long as Jordan Clarkson can come in and add instant offense. He came up huge as the key man in the Game 4 win, with 25 points.
NBA Playoff Odds & Preview — So what about Dallas?
The general opinion was that Dallas would struggle without Doncic in the lineup, but they won two of the three games while showing Utah something that they weren’t really expecting, or were prepared for. But it becomes a little more of a standard situation with Luka back in the lineup. He put up 30 points with ten rebounds in Game 4, but the Mavericks weren’t exhibiting the rapid ball movement that really gave Utah a lot of trouble.
That’s far, 51.7% of the Dallas field goal attempts have come from beyond the arc, so it’s obvious that they need to stretch Utah out to have a chance.
NBA Playoff Odds & Preview — Our conclusion
Well, we know that Doncic, who played 34 minutes in Game 4, can take over a game, but maybe that isn’t the best recipe for the Mavs.
Doncic had a 38.8% Usage rate in his first game back, and that can, in effect, make the Dallas offensive approach a bit more predictable. And if they aren’t setting other people up for plays, it could make things a bit easier for Gobert to take the paint away.
That’s our key here, as we will take the available points and, at the very least, look for another barnburner.
BetAnySports gives you a lot of ways to wager in the NBA playoffs……. Of course they have plenty of alternate lines, but you can bet while the action is in progress, with several options at your disposal. And pre-game, reduced juice gives you better value!
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