Mavericks vs. 76ers Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 2 (Can Dallas Take Advantage of Embiid-less Philly?)

Mavericks vs. 76ers Game Info

• Date: Thursday, March 2, 2023
• Time: 7:30 PM ET
• Venue: American Airlines Center -- Dallas, Texas
• Coverage: TNT

The Dallas Mavericks (32-31) look to put their losing ways behind them when they host the Philadelphia 76ers (40-21) for some NBA action on Thursday, March 2.

The Mavericks are searching for answers after losing 124-122 loss to the Indiana Pacers, marking the fifth loss in their last six outings. Meanwhile, the 76ers are coming off a 119-96 win over the Miami Heat that saw Tyrese Maxey lead the charge with a game-high 27 points on 58.8% shooting.

Can the 76ers improve their win total again tonight? Or will the Mavericks finally break out of their slump?

Mavericks vs. 76ers Odds & Spread

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: PHI: (+152) | DAL: (-180)
• Spread: PHI: +4 (-108) | DAL: -4 (-112)
• Total: 229 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Mavericks enter this contest as clear home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 229 points with -110 odds on both sides.

Mavericks vs. 76ers Betting Trends

• Philadelphia is 15-5 straight up in its last 20 games.
• Dallas is 5-1 straight up in its last six games played in March.
• Philadelphia is 6-2 against the spread (ATS) in its last eight games against Dallas.
• Dallas is 1-6-1 ATS in its last eight home games.
• The total has hit the under in four of Philadelphia's last five games.
• The total has hit the under in each of Dallas' last five games against Philadelphia.

Mavericks vs. 76ers Prediction & Pick

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving haven't produced as much success as expected, but that can change tonight. The 76ers will, once again, be without star center Joel Embiid, who continues to deal with a foot injury. Considering how Embiid leads Philly in both points (33.0) and rebounds (10.4) per game, there's no doubt that his presence will be missed.

The 76ers also haven't had much success at American Airlines Center over the last few decades. After all, they've lost 14 of their last 16 road games against the Mavericks. Even worse is the fact that Philly was kept to an abysmal 94.4 PPG clip in those matchups.

The Mavericks' season is slipping away and there's never been a better time for a turnaround performance than tonight. The 76ers will still press throughout the night, but the Mavs' motivation and strong home defense (110.3 PPG, No. 10) will help get the job done.

Final Score Prediction: Mavericks: 113 | 76ers: 107

Mavericks vs. 76ers Best Bet

A Mavericks-76ers matchup means fans shouldn't expect a ton of points. After all, the last five tilts between the two teams saw an average of only 206.6 scored, finishing with fewer than 229 in each contest.

In fact, you need to go back to February 2016 to find the last time that Dallas and Philadelphia surpassed tonight's projected total.

With Embiid sidelined and the Mavericks' offense being somewhat of a mess at the moment, siding with the under is the best option here.

Bet: Under 229 Points (-110)

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Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.