Utah Jazz - Dallas Mavericks: Match Preview, Stats, Bets, & Much More | 29 April

The NBA Playoffs dive towards the Second Round at a quicker rate and one series has already been decided as the Bucks will take on the Celtics. In the West, the Warriors have advanced while the Suns and the Grizzlies are just a win away. On the other hand, Utah Jazz has their work cut out as one loss in the rest of the two games will end their season. And as for the Dallas Mavericks, a win seals the ticket to the Western Semis. They will meet the Utah Jazz here.

Total: Bookmakers from 22bet suggest that Total Over/Under 210 has the odds of 1.90. This has been a lower-scoring series with three games going under 200, which implies a physical grind-out type of game. The Jazz has been highly inefficient and they have been held under 100 three times. I believe the total points range here will be 200-210. (Total Under 210 for 1.90)

Player Props: Bookmakers at bet365 predict odds of 1.86 for Dorian Finney-Smith going Over 4.5 Rebounds here(At least 5 rebounds). Finney-Smith has grabbed 5, 4, 8, 6, 5 rebounds in the last five games, and with the Jazz missing a ton of shots a lot of rebounds have been up for grabs. I believe he will fetch at least 6 rebounds here. (Player Props: Player Rebounds: Dorian Finney-Smith Over 4.5)

Winner/Handicap: Bookmakers at 1xbet literally give 1.97 odds of both teams winning the game. That is why the handicap is evenly placed here and can go either way. I believe the Mavericks will establish their game earlier and will win here with a difference of at least 5 points. (Handicap 2 -4.5 for 2.42)

You can watch this game on the NBA League Pass.

The Jazz has completely lost their touch from the three-point line and as a result, they have been heavily outgunned from outside in three of the last four games. The squad has barely touched the ten three-pointers mark. Bojan Bogdanovic has been struggling in the last two games and didn’t even make one of his nine attempts in the last game, after having made 50%+ of his shots in the first three games. On the other hand, Mike Conley has fared even worse, often shooting below 30%. Meanwhile, Donovan Mitchell just shot 4/15 in the last game and their three-point shot has been around 25% at this point. Jordan Clarkson has gotten it done off the bench and has shot efficiently too. Rudy Gobert continues to do his job as a specialist rebounder but he isn’t an offensive ace and can’t address the three-point woes.

The Mavs lost their rhythm when Doncic returned in Game 4 but then they did well to get their earlier flair well as the team’s defense limited to Jazz below 20 in the first three quarters. Apart from the obvious ace Doncic, Jalen Brunson has been also getting it done as a 20+ points scorer. Dorian Finney-Smith not only brings incredible defense, box-outs, and hustle, but he has also helped out on the offensive end. Reggie Bullock has been a terrific defender while his rebounding has been huge. Meanwhile, Spencer Dinwiddie’s game has fallen but he provides substantial production off the bench. The Mavericks are earning their wins on the defensive end and they have completely shut down the perimeter defense of the Jazz at this point.

• Jazz most likely starting five: PG: Mike Conley | SG: Donovan Mitchell | SF: Bojan Bogdanovic | PF: Royce O’Neale | C: Rudy Gobert;
• Key Bench Players: Jordan Clarkson, Danuel House Jr., Hassan Whiteside;
• Mavericks most likely starting five: PG: Luka Doncic | PG: Jalen Brunson | SF: Reggie Bullock | PF: Dorian Finney-Smith | C: Dwight Powell;
• Key Bench Players: Spencer Dinwiddie, Maxi Kleber.