The Dallas Mavericks hope to fight off elimination in the NBA playoffs as they host the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.
The hosts definitely need a good start in the game and bookmaker BetOnline has the odds at -115 for the Mavericks to win the first quarter. The odds are at -105 for Golden State to win the first quarter and the points total is at 55.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: May 24th, 8:30 A.M. (EST)
Dallas is in a 3-0 hole despite Luka Doncic having produced back-to-back 40-point games. The Slovenian is a special player, but even he can’t do it all on his own and the team’s defense has actually been the main source of headaches for head coach Jason Kidd.
After giving up 238 points in the first two games of the series, Dallas improved a bit in their first home outing by limiting the Warriors to 109 points but it still wasn’t enough. They started the second half poorly and Golden State is such a high-quality team that once they build up a lead, they rarely end up giving it away.
The Warriors ran into a couple of issues in the last round against Memphis, but they have been back to their best in the Conference Finals and holding a three-game lead also puts them in a nice pressure-free situation, which might give their performance levels a further lift.
Not a single team in NBA history has managed to come back from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs and Golden State will be very confident of keeping the record intact. They have bags full of experience and know how to take care of business in the postseason.
Dallas needs to find some answers to Stephen Curry to have a chance to take something in the series. The veteran superstar has shot an incredible 11-for-20 from deep in the last two games while piling up 63 points in total.
Curry’s playing time was limited at the start of the playoffs after he suffered an injury late in the regular season, but he is still averaging 27.1 points per game with solid efficiency.
A massive effort is needed to slow down Curry and his supporting cast. The Mavericks have shown that they can do it in spurts but a solid 48-minute effort is needed on Tuesday to extend the series.
