The first round of the NBA playoffs will finally conclude on Sunday when the Los Angeles Clippers host the Dallas Mavericks in a highly-anticipated Game 7.
Bookmaker Bovada has the Clippers as 6.5-point favorites for the clash with the odds at -105. The moneyline odds are at -270 for a Clippers win and at +220 for a Mavericks win.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: June 5th, 6:00 P.M. (EST)
It’s been a very unique series so far with all games ending with the road team winning. It had never happened before in the NBA playoffs, so we have already witnessed history.
Dallas stormed to a 2-0 lead in the series, but the Clippers fought back and they have already been victorious once in a must-win situation. Kawhi Leonard had a spectacular 45-point game on Friday in a 104-97 win.
The two-time finals MVP was quiet in Game 5, but he has been in top form throughout the postseason averaging 32.8 points per game on 60.5 percent shooting. He’s only the second player behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to record 30-plus points on 60 percent shooting through the first six games of the playoffs and Leonard has now done it three times.
With Paul George averaging 23.8 points per game, the Clippers look nicely set offensively to fight off elimination again. Their defense has also improved a lot compared to the start of the series as the Mavs have managed only 93.3 points per game across the last three meetings.
Dallas’ defense has been mediocre at best throughout the season and they rely heavily on Luka Doncic to carry the team. He’s had a spectacular run in the series with 34.0 points, 9.7 assists and 8.0 rebounds. The Slovenian sensation seems to be breaking playoff records with every other game, but his efforts could be in vain in the end if others don’t step up.
Doncic’s co-star Kristaps Porzingis has had a miserable time so far failing to hit even 10 points in half of the games. He’s notched just 15 points in total in the last two meetings and the Mavericks likely won’t have a chance in Game 7 if the big Latvian doesn’t improve.
This will be the Mavericks’ seventh Game 7 in franchise history. Their 4-2 record is impressive, but the situation is completely new to the current group of players with Dallas last playing a Game 7 in 2014.
The Clippers have gone 3-5 in their previous Game 7’s. However, head coach Tyronn Lue has never lost a Game 7 going 3-0 in his coaching career.
