What’s better than an inter-conference matchup with major playoff implications this late in the season?
The Miami Heat are two games out of the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference, but they may not have Bam Adebayo or Kyle Lowry (questionable) on Saturday against the Dallas Mavericks.
Dallas is half a game back of the No. 10 spot in the West, and it doesn’t have the tiebreaker over the No. 10 seed Oklahoma City Thunder. That means the Mavericks need to win one more game than them this season.
Both of these teams expected to be in the playoffs after making the Conference Finals last season, but they have fallen short of expectations.
With such a big matchup upcoming, I love taking some props in this game, especially since the stars on both sides are going to be asked to step up. Let’s break down two picks for this matchup:
Mavericks vs. Heat best NBA prop bets
- Kyrie Irving OVER 4.5 Assists
- Jimmy Butler OVER 24.5 Points
Kyrie Irving OVER 4.5 Assists
DraftKings Sportsbook has Kyrie Irving’s assist prop set at 4.5, and I think it is one of the best values on the board for today’s NBA action.
Since joining the Mavericks, Irving has picked up five or more dimes in 14 of his 17 games, averaging 5.9 assists per game.
While Miami is ninth in defensive rating on the season, the team has dropped to 26th in the league since the All-Star break.
With Adebayo potentially missing this game, Dallas should have its way on offense, and Irving and Luka Doncic should be able to create some easy looks for their teammates.
This prop should be at 5.5, so if you can find a 4.5 (like at DraftKings) jump on it before it’s too late.
Jimmy Butler OVER 24.5 Points
Jimmy Butler is coming off a bad game against the New York Knicks on Wednesday night (12 points), but he attempted just 10 shots in that game.
That’s very uncharacteristic for Butler, especially over his recent hot streak. The Heat star has cleared 24.5 points in eight of his last 16 games, taking 13.3 field goals and 10.6 free throws per game over that stretch.
Butler is averaging 25.1 points per game over that 16-game sample, and he may be asked to do more tonight with Adebayo questionable.
The Mavericks are just 23rd in the NBA in defensive rating this season, so I won’t be shocked if Butler flips the switch in this game to carry Miami.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.