Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Dallas Mavericks Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 11/29/2021

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

Venue: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX

Where to watch: Bally Sports Southwest-Dallas, Bally Sports Ohio

DraftKings: Mavericks -6

BetMGM: Mavericks -6.5

Caesars: Mavericks -5.5

Cavaliers: 10-10

Mavericks: 10-8

Cavs: won 105-92 vs. Magic on Saturday

Mavs: lost 120-114 vs. Wizards on Saturday

The Jason Kidd era has gotten off to a rocky start with the Dallas Mavericks.

Saturday was a winnable game, yet once again, the Mavs couldn’t figure out how to close out a game against a winning team. So far, it’s about as bad as it could be.

The Mavericks will try to rebound against the Cleveland Cavaliers at home on Monday as the improving Cavs will look to end a six-game losing streak against the Mavs.

Cleveland has lost the last six meetings by an average of 21.2 points with Dallas sweeping the last three season series. But there’s a chance for optimism this time around considering the Cavaliers are a younger but much better version of the team that has gotten whooped by Dallas.

The Cavs are off to a .500 start through the quarter-way mark of the season and are coming off a 105-92 win over the Orlando Magic at home. Darius Garland continued his strong third season after scoring a game-high 26 points to go with 11 assists, and Lauri Markkanen had one of his best scoring games since joining Cleveland with 20 points on 8 of 13 shooting.

But what was more encouraging about Cleveland’s win was the return of first-round pick Evan Mobley after missing four games with an elbow injury. Mobley finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.

"It means everything to have him back because Evan wants to be great," Garland said. "That's why he always puts in the work. He brings a lot to the team with the way he blocks shots, grabs rebounds and, of course, his dunking."

Mobley has been a seamless addition to the Cavs’ lineup particularly next to Jarrett Allen in the front court. The two have created a shot-blocking tandem that is already one of the more intimidating duos on both sides of the court.

And that’s going to be a tall task for a Mavericks team that showed it’s going to be tough to operate offensively without Jalen Brunson. Dallas’ sixth man missed Saturday’s game, a 6-point loss to the Washington Wizards, with a foot injury. Outside of a 33-point, 10-assist night from Luka Doncic, no one else really produced in the scoring department.

Kristaps Porzingis had 13 points and seven rebounds, while Trey Burke led the way off the bench with 14 points in 11 minutes.

But it was Dallas’ defense that struggled to contain Washington. The Wizards made 57.7 percent of their shots and made five more free throws than the Mavericks. This will be a chance for Dallas to get back on track seeing how the Cavs are the fifth-worst scoring team in the league. That said, Cleveland’s defense is the fourth-best scoring unit in the league, so if Dallas doesn’t make shots, it’ll be a long night.

It’s been a while since Cavs fans had something to cheer for. It’d be a lot better if Collin Sexton was available, but this young team is still fun especially when Mobley is healthy. Dallas is going to need an offensive explosion from Doncic and Porzingis to get this win, and the way the inconsistencies have piled up, I’m afraid to think that’ll be the case. Cavs by 10

The Cavs are 9-0 ATS after scoring at least 100 points in the previous game.

The under is 8-1 in the Cavs’ last nine following an ATS win.

The over is 5-0 in the Mavs’ last five when the opponent scores at least 100 in the previous game.

The Mavs are 1-5 ATS in their last six home games against a team with a winning road record.

PG: Darius Garland

SG: Isaac Okoro
SF: Lauri Markkanen
PF: Evan Mobley
C: Jarrett Allen

PG: Luka Doncic

SG: Tim Hardaway Jr.
SF: Dorian Finney-Smith
PF: Kristaps Porzingis
C: Willie Cauley-Stein

Cavaliers: Dean Wade (calf, doubtful), Cedi Osman (back, questionable)

Mavericks: Frank Ntilikina (calf, out), Jalen Brunson (foot, questionable)

Points: Darius Garland -- 18.7

Rebounds: Jarrett Allen -- 11.2

Assists: Darius Garland -- 7.1

Points: Luka Doncic -- 25.5

Rebounds: Kristaps Porzingis -- 8.1

Assists: Luka Doncic -- 8.1