The Philadelphia 76ers continue their magnificent run, gunning for their 14th consecutive victory on Sunday in a nationally televised contest versus the Dallas Mavericks at 1 p.m. ET. While the Mavericks play out the string at 24-56, the Sixers are trying to lock down the No. 3 seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Philadelphia opened as an 11.5-point favorite and now is laying 12.5. The over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, opened at 212 and has risen to 215.5.
Before picking either side, you need to read what SportsLine NBA expert Galin Dragiev has to say. Dragiev has put together a blistering 13-5 run (72 percent) on his recent against-the-spread NBA picks. We can tell you he's expecting a low-scoring game and is leaning toward the under.
Dragiev, who has a strong analytical background, has examined every matchup, every player and every trend for Mavericks-76ers and locked in his pick. For Friday's crucial Cavaliers-Sixers contest, in which Philly was laying 3.5, Dragiev pointed out the Cavs were equally as formidable as the 76ers, especially with an injured Joel Embiid out of the lineup, and backed Cleveland. The result? In a thriller, the Cavaliers' last-second tip-in for the tie rimmed out, which gave the Sixers a 132-130 win and allowed Dragiev to cash!
The Mavericks have a lot of young talent and they can cover if they play loose but disciplined. No Dirk Nowitzki, no Wesley Matthews, and guard Dennis Smith Jr. is questionable. Expect to see a lot more of Yogi Ferrell on the hardwood. If he can dictate the pace and slow down the high-flying Sixers, Dallas can limit possessions, which makes the game much more manageable.
But the Sixers will cover if they play with more discipline than they showed against Cleveland. Philly, which leads the league in turnovers, can get sloppy with the ball. It can't take Dallas for granted, especially with so much at stake in the postseason.
The under is 5-0 in Philadelphia's last five games after scoring more than 125 in its previous contest. Dallas is 0-4 against the spread in its last four road games.
Do the Sixers make it 14 in a row, and 10 covers in their last 11? Or will the Mavericks come out razor-sharp to earn the cover? Dragiev has found an X-factor for this matchup and locked in his strong pick.
So what side of Mavericks-76ers do you need to be all over? Visit SportsLine now to see the strong point-spread pick, and find out what the x-factor will be, all from an expert who's nailed 72 percent of his recent NBA picks, to find out.
