The 2021 NBA Playoffs continue on Sunday with a Western Conference quarterfinals matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The Mavericks hold a 2-1 series lead over the fourth-seeded Clippers as the No. 5 seed in the West, but Los Angeles should have some momentum after a 118-108 win in Game 3. After Los Angeles’ victory on Friday, the road team has won and covered in all three games so far in this playoff series.
Tipoff is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET. Los Angeles is a three-point favorite with the over-under for total points listed at 221 in the latest Clippers vs. Mavericks odds from William Hill Sportsbook. Before locking in any Mavericks vs. Clippers picks, be sure to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned over $9,000 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks over the past two-plus seasons. The model is up almost $800 on its top-rated picks this season and entered the first full week of the 2021 NBA Playoffs on a stunning 99-66 roll on top-rated NBA picks against the spread dating back to last season. Anybody who has followed it has seen massive returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Clippers vs. Mavericks in the NBA Playoffs 2021. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Mavericks vs. Clippers:
- Clippers vs. Mavericks odds: Clippers -3
- Clippers vs. Mavericks over-under total: 221 points
- Clippers vs. Mavericks money line: Clippers -160, Mavericks +140
- LAC: The Clippers have covered the spread in seven of the last nine meetings in Dallas.
- DAL: The Mavericks have covered four of five games as an underdog.
Featured Game | Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Why the Clippers can cover
The Clippers were staring down the barrel of going down 3-0 despite having home-court advantage in the series, but inspired performances by superstars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George helped keep them alive. Leonard had 36 points on 13-of-17 shooting, while George had 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting in a 118-108 win on Friday.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Clippers roster shot a respectable 20-of-41 from the floor and that helped them overcome the fact that the Mavericks shot 20-of-39 from the 3-point line. The Clippers continue to struggle with Luka Doncic, who is averaging 38.0 points per game during the series, but no other Mavericks player had more than 14 points in the win on Friday. In addition, Los Angeles is 7-2 against the spread in its last nine road games against Dallas.
Why the Mavericks can cover
Doncic has been the most dominant force in this series thus far, averaging 9.0 assists and 8.7 rebounds per game in addition to the aforementioned 38.0 points per game. Doncic is shooting 51.9 percent from the floor and 45.9 percent from the 3-point line and the Clippers don’t have a natural answer for the 22-year-old.
Kristaps Porzingis has had a limited impact thus far, averaging 11.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game despite playing 34.0 minutes per contest. Dallas will be looking for more from Porzingis, but the play of Tim Hardaway Jr. has helped soften his disappointing performance. Hardaway is averaging 20.3 points per game and shooting a staggering 65.2 percent from the 3-point line and if the Mavericks can stay hot from deep, the Clippers should struggle to truly get back into this series.
How to make Clippers vs. Mavericks picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning over on the total, projecting 224 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Clippers vs. Mavericks? And which side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks.