Betting Analysis and Predictions: Toronto Raptors at Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks will be looking to extend their recent winning ways when they invite the struggling Toronto Raptors to the American Airlines Center tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET.

How Mavericks Come Into The Game

The Mavericks have won 10 of their past 12 games, a turnaround from a stretch that started on Dec. 15 when they lost five of seven.

The winning surge has them placed in the fifth spot in the Western Conference with a 25-19 straight-up (SU) record, 23-21 NBA betting against the spread (ATS), and a 13-30-1 over-under record for the season.

How Raptors Come Into The Game

The Raptors fought hard to reach the .500 level after winning six straight games, covering the spread in all but one game. Since then, they alternated wins and losses over their past five games.

One of those was a truly ugly loss to the Detroit Pistons as a seven-point road favorite, but they bounced back with a strong effort in defeating the Milwaukee Bucks as 7.5-point home underdogs. They are coming off a 104-99 road loss to the Miami Heat and marginally missed covering the number as four-point underdogs.

In the loss to Miami, four of five Raptors starters scored double-digits. Guard Fred VanVleet led the team with 22 points on 7-of-17 shooting, with four assists and four rebounds.

Luca Doncic is Good, Even When He's Not

The Mavericks are coming off a fortuitous 104-102 win over the lowly Oklahoma City Thunder and failed to cover the 11.5-point point spread as a home favorite. Luca Doncic had a terrible game by his standards, scoring 20 points on a horrid 4-of-17 shooting.

Nevertheless, Doncic earned a triple-double by getting 11 rebounds and dishing out 12 assists. That type of performance is what makes him one of the best players in the NBA because he can do so many other things on the court when his shooting is off.

Mavericks Defense vs. Raptors Offense

The Mavericks defense ranks third by allowing an average of 102.7 points per game. Their defense does a great job defending the perimeter, ranking ninth and allowing a 36.9% 3-point shooting percentage.

The Raptors are the fifth fastest-paced team in the NBA, but they are going to struggle against the Mavericks' intense defense tonight.

Dallas is a home favorite of four points and their defense has been exceptional over their past three games in which the total went under in each.

Betting on home favorites that have gone under the total by 30 or more points combined over their past three games has earned a 337-228 ATS record for 60% winning bets over the past five seasons.

Raptors at Mavericks Pick

So, easy to track betting query will provide oodles of betting action. I am on the Dallas Mavericks tonight -4.5 points.