Los Angeles Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks NBA Playoffs Betting Preview

Talk about star power! It’s probably been a while since the NBA had a first-round series that featured six guys that already have Hall of Fame resumes. The only question is, will the Los Angeles Clippers’ aging quartet be able to hold back the Dallas Mavericks’ uber-talented duo? It goes without saying, but if Kawhi Leonard can play the full series, the Clippers should be viewed as the favorites, but if his 95-year-old knees betray him again, Luka and Co. will take advantage.

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks NBA 1st Round First Round Playoff Series Betting Odds

All odds provided by Betway.

When to Watch and How to Watch Clippers vs. Mavericks

The No. 4 vs. No. 5 Western Conference series will be broadcast on ABC, TNT, and ESPN. Games 1 and 4 will air on ABC, TNT will get Game 2, and ESPN will get Game 3, with the broadcasts for the final three ‘if necessary’ games still up in the air. NBA fans in Canada can tune in on Sportsnet for all the games. Below is the full series schedule. Italics denote games that will take place if necessary. All times E.T.

• Game 1 at Los Angeles - Sunday, April 21 @ 3:30PM (ABC)
• Game 2 at Los Angeles - Tuesday,  April 23 @ 10:00PM (TNT)
• Game 3 at Dallas - Friday, April 26 @ 8:00PM (ESPN)
• Game 4 at Dallas - Sunday, April 28 @ 3:30PM (ABC)
• Game 5 at Los Angeles - Wednesday, May 1 @ TBD (TBD)
• Game 6 at Dallas - Friday, May 3 @ TBD (TBD)
• Game 7 at Los Angeles - Sunday, May 5 @ TBD (TBD)

Clippers vs. Mavericks Series Winner Betting Odds

This is one is very tough to call not only because of the fact that these two teams have similar levels of talent, but because we have no idea what we’re going to get out of the Clippers’ best player, Kawhi Leonard. He’s questionable for Game 1 with inflammation in his surgically repaired knee, so even if he does play, will he be able to play up to his lofty standards?

The Clippers really found their groove in midseason when they moved Russell Westbrook to the second unit, but without Kawhi, it just doesn’t work the same way. The club is 7-7 when the Klaw sat out this season though, which is better than most might have expected.

Both of these teams are also entering on losing streaks, with the Clippers having lost three straight and the Mavs having dropped their final two games of the regular season. The Clippers won the season series 2-1, but the last of those games happened in mid-December, so they don’t tell us much.

While some seem to think that Doncic “has these guys’ number”, they could not be more wrong. While the Slovenian Stallion has put up big numbers against the Clippers, both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard lead their respective overall head-to-head series with Doncic. James Harden has also won eight of 15 games against Doncic. L.A. also beat the Mavs out in the 2020 and 2021 playoffs in a couple of epic clashes.

These teams are so similar, a combined 1.2 points is all that separates their offensive and defensive ratings. Even their benches score at nearly the exact same rate. With it being so tight, we might just avoid the outright future prop altogether, but if we had to make a choice, L.A.’s home court and coaching advantage give them the edge here. Not to mention those plus odds being offered by NBA betting sites for the Clippers don’t hurt either.

Clippers vs. Mavericks Series Total Number Of Games Betting Odds

These are the exact same odds as for the Pacers vs. Bucks series, which we think will go very differently from this one, so there is some value here as well. This Clippers vs. Mavs series, like the ones before it in 2020 and 2021, is going to be an odyssey, complete with twists, turns, comebacks, and momentum shifts. There’s no way this series doesn’t go at least six games, and we like it to go a step further and reach Game 7 like it did three years ago.

Clippers vs. Mavericks Series Handicap Betting Odds

Considering we like this series to go seven games, none of these props is all too appealing. The best of a bad bunch of options here is probably one of the team’s underdog spreads at +1.5. Considering the Clippers are offering much longer -182 odds than the -227 the Mavs are pushing, we’ll go with the value and take L.A. at +1.5. More than likely, both of these bets are going to hit anyway.