The San Antonio Spurs face the Dallas Mavericks in the season opener for both teams when they meet at American Airlines Center in Dallas in a Southwest Division matchup on Thursday. The Mavericks are coming off a season that saw them reach the NBA Finals, while San Antonio missed the postseason for the fifth consecutive year. The Spurs (22-60 in 2023-24), who were 3-13 against Southwest Division foes last season, were 10-31 in road games. The Mavericks (50-32), who were the fifth seed in the West and 11-5 within the division, were 25-16 on their home court.
Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. The Mavericks are 8.5-point favorites in the latest Spurs vs. Mavericks odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 227.5. Before making any Mavericks vs. Spurs picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six seasons. The model ended the 2023-24 season on a sizzling 94-61 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning more than $2,800 in the process. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Spurs vs. Mavericks and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Spurs vs. Mavericks:
- Spurs vs. Mavericks spread: Dallas -8.5
- Spurs vs. Mavericks over/under: 227.5 points
- Spurs vs. Mavericks money line: San Antonio +298, Dallas -377
- SA: The Spurs have hit the money line in 11 of their last 23 games (+20.40 units)
- DAL: The Mavericks have hit the game total under in 51 of their last 79 games (+20.20 units)
- Spurs vs. Mavericks picks: See picks at SportsLine
- Spurs vs. Mavericks streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why the Mavericks can cover
Luka Doncic powers the Dallas offense. In 70 games last season, all starts, he averaged 33.9 points, 9.8 assists, 9.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 37.5 minutes of action. He connected on 48.7% of his field goals, including 38.2% from 3-point range and 78.6% of his free throws. He has always played well against the Spurs. In 20 career games against San Antonio, Doncic is averaging 29.4 points, 9.5 assists and 8.8 rebounds in 35 minutes.
Shooting guard Klay Thompson, an offseason trade acquisition, is another weapon on offense for Dallas. The four-time NBA champion played in 77 games last year for the Warriors, starting 63. He averaged 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in 2023-24. It was the first time in seven years he did not average 20 or more points per game. See which team to pick here.
Why the Spurs can cover
San Antonio is led by the reigning Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama. The second-year center averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals in 29.7 minutes of action last season. He connected on 46.5% of his field goals, including 32.5% from 3-point range and 79.6% at the foul line. He finished the regular season with at least one block in 39 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NBA.
Small forward Keldon Johnson is among San Antonio’s top-returning scorers. The former first-round pick in 2019 played in 69 games last season, including 27 starts. He averaged 15.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 29.5 minutes. He connected on 45.4% of his field goals, including 34.6% from 3-point range and 79.2% of his free throws. See which team to pick here.
How to make Spurs vs. Mavericks picks
The model has simulated Spurs vs. Mavericks 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under on the point total and it also says one side of the spread hits in well over 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Mavericks vs. Spurs, and which side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Spurs vs. Mavericks spread you need to jump on, all from the model that was on a 94-61 roll on top-rated NBA picks last season, and find out.
