Following their stunning upset in the previous round the Dallas Mavericks are one step away from reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since winning the NBA title in 2011. Since that championship run and prior to this postseason the Mavs failed to advance past the first round in six playoff appearances.
Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors won 19 playoff series, reached the NBA Finals five times and won three titles in the same time frame. All that’s irrelevant now as the two get set to battle for the Western Conference title starting on Wednesday night with the Warriors a 5-point favorite on the NBA betting line.
Mavericks vs Warriors Date & Time
Game 1 of the Western Conference final between the Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors takes place on Wednesday, May 18, 2022 and will air live on TNT with tip off at 9 p.m. ET from Chase Center in San Francisco. BookMaker.eu will have betting options for every game on the NBA playoff schedule.
Mavericks vs Warriors Odds (Game 1)
Dallas Mavericks +5
Golden State Warriors -5
Over / Under 214
Playoff Analysis
The Mavericks needed one road win against Phoenix and they got it in a big way in Game 7, becoming the only visiting team to win a game in that series. As a 6.5-point dog the Mavs never trailed building an early lead, holding a 30-point bulge at halftime and leading by as many as 46 points before settling for the 123-90 triumph.
They find themselves in the familiar role of underdog in Game 1 catching 5-points on the opening line. The Mavs won the last two games of the Phoenix series by a combined 60 points while playing as a dog both times. They are 5-5 SU and 6-4 ATS in the playoffs when getting points and they are no stranger to having road success. They were 23-18 SU and 24-17 ATS in road games during the season with both playoff series clinching wins taking place in the opponent’s home arena.
With the Mavs knocking off top-seeded Phoenix and the Warriors ousting No. 2 Memphis, Golden State backed into homecourt advantage for this series. And that could be beneficial in what is expected to be a close series. The Dubs had the second-best home record in the entire NBA during the regular season winning 31 of their 41 games at Chase Center. And they’ve been perfect this postseason going 6-0 SU and 4-2 ATS.
One of those home losses was administered by the Mavs in late February, 107-101, with the Warriors blowing a 21-point lead. Golden State dropped three of four meetings to the Mavs during the season but never had their big three of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green on the floor at the same time. The trio rarely played together during the regular season but has been on the floor the entire postseason with the Warriors going 8-3 SU and 5-6 ATS.
Dallas Mavericks
Doncic showed why he’s a superstar in the NBA with a brilliant performance against the Suns in Game 7. He set the tone early making his first three shots, including a pair of triples, finishing with 35 points on 12 of 19 shooting. While the Mavs average only 106.2 points during the playoffs they are the top three-point shooting team making 15.5 triples a game.
How the Mavs defend will go long way towards determining the outcome of this game. They held opponents to 100 points or less in seven games and allow just 101.9 points this postseason. They stumped Phoenix’s backcourt on Sunday holding Chris Paul and Devin Booker to a combined 21 points to win that game and series.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors benefitted by not having to face Ja Morant for a majority of the previous series. And let’s face it that was a big blow for Memphis. It will be interesting to see how they defend Doncic in the opener since the Mavs’ leader has had some big games against them. Golden State was one of the better defensive clubs during the season holding teams to an average of 105.5 points. That number has increased by nearly five points per game during the postseason, but they’ve made up for it by increasing their offensive production.
Curry and Thompson are doing their usual work on the offensive end scoring 26.9 and 20.4 points respectively. Jordan Poole (19.3) and Andrew Wiggins (14.5) supply complementary scoring and the team shoots better than 48 percent from the floor.
Mavericks vs Warriors Predictions
Winning three of four games this season and nine of the last 11 has to give the Mavs confidence that they can get an early jump in the series. The Dubs were shorthanded in most of those games and they’re a different club with the roster intact.
Game 1 Prediction: Golden State Warriors -5 and OVER 214
