Game Time:  3:30 PM ET, Sunday, October 31st, 2021 

Venue: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, local cable

DraftKings:  Spread:  Mavs -4.5 :  O/U: 

BetMGM:  Spread: Mavs -4.5 :  O/U: 

Kings: 3-2, Western Conference

Mavs: 3-2, Western Conference

An early season, mid-day matchup while getting ready for your Sunday Night of Halloween fun.  When these teams played each other last April… Dallas was different. Luka Doncic had a sore elbow, Kristaps Porzingis had a sore ankle, Josh Richardson was still on the team, JJ Redick had not yet retired, and they had a whole different coach (remember that guy with the Championship ring?)....   The Kings were mostly the same, except they hadn’t yet drafted PG Davion Mitchell, who is playing great for a rookie especially on defense.  If Davion keeps it up he might give the franchise the courage to trade Buddy Hield in a package that includes Marvin Bagley to bring back a monster of a big man.  ( Richaun Holmes is playing well at Center but could use a better running mate in the frontcourt for this team to take the next step )

Al McMordie's an awesome 14-7 in the NBA this season, and 83-47 his last 130 overall after cashing the LA Lakers, ATL Braves and NY Rangers last night. Now, for Saturday, Big Al's back on the NBA hardwood with his NBA Non-Conference Game of the Month out of an 81-44 ATS system. Get on it! Get Big Al’s picks right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. NCAAF, NFL, MLB… get positive value from all your bets! Expert picks!  Fun fact… winning a wager is much better than making a wager!

RECENT FORM

The Dallas Mavericks have lost to the Atlanta Hawks and the Denver Nuggets… they have beaten three really bad teams.  The Toronto Raptors, the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs.  Luka Doncic is doing his regular amazing thing of leading the team in points, assists, and rebounds.  It’s just after him is a disinterested Kristaps Porzingas and not a whole lot else.  They will beat bad teams all year.  Luka is good enough to will them through.  Not stacked teams.

The Kings have lost to the Utah Jazz and the Golden State Warriors. They have beaten the Portland Trail Blazers, the Phoenix Suns, and the New Orleans Pelicans.  The Sacramento Kings are in that gray area between a bad team and a stacked team.  They have an assortment of quality young guards and 1 center, that along with Harrison Barnes playing really well, could be the makings of a stacked team… someone just has to make it.

The Mavericks are 29th in points scored so far.  They are last in FG%.  They are 28th in 3pt%.  How have they won 3 games?!!  They beat 3 bad teams without a star as big as Luka.  Why are they favored over the Sacramento Kings?!!   The people who set the betting lines and make the NBA predictions know you will fall for Luka Doncic for a while before you realize he is on a bad team.  There is a huge opportunity to bet against Dallas until the betting lines catch up to reality.

Sacramento is 11th in the league in points scored.  The Kings are 14th in FG% and 13th in 3pt%. Sacramento isn’t a full team.  They have two units, the vets who can play, and the young guys who will replace the vets when they get too expensive. They also have Marvin Bagley buried so deep on the bench that he has become a virtual nobody.  

Our prediction for Sunday, October 31st is… Kings 118 - Mavs 108

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The Kings are 3-1 ATS versus Dallas in Dallas over the last 3 seasons.

The Kings are 5-2 ATS versus Dallas over the last 3 seasons.

Kings: No significant injuries

Mavs: F Kristaps Porzingis (back) Quest ** SG Sterling Brown (ankle) Quest

Kings: PG De’Aaron Fox, SG Tyrese Haliburton, SF Harrison Barnes, PF Maurice Harkless, C Richaun Holmes

Mavericks: PG Luka Doncic, SG Tim Haraway JR, SF Dorian Finney-Smith, PF Maxi Kleber, C Dwight Powell

Kings

Points: Harrison Barnes 25

Rebounds: Harrison Barnes

Assists: De’Aaron Fox 6.8

Steals: De’Aaron Fox 1.2

Blocks: Richaun Holmes 1.8

Mavs

Points: Luka Doncic 22.4

Rebounds: Luka Doncic 8.6

Assists: Luka Doncic 7.0

Steals: Tim Hardaway 1.2

Blocks: Maxi Kleber 1.4

Kings:  Luke Walton.  Amazingly LUke Walton has held down the Kings head coaching job since he was hired in 2019.  Even more amazing, Luke had the job as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers before he had this one.  His roster is good enough for a playoff berth this year… if he doesn’t land one he should be shown the door.

Mavs: Jason Kidd.  A 10x NBA all-star.  Six years of head coaching experience (with Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets).  A basketball hall of famer.  It all looks good on paper.  Mark Cuban ultimately is in charge of Dallas-Decision-Making and his team will miss Rick Carlisle immensely.  

Trade Suggestion:  While you are face to face anyway… Why not trade Porzingis to the Kings for Buddy Hield, Tristan Thompson, Marvin Bagley III, and some picks? It gets Kristaps and his money off your books and out of Luka’s way.