The Dallas Mavericks have taken two chances to steal home-court advantage – and potentially two wins – from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Suffice enough to put the reigning NBA champions in a must-win position to avoid moving to the brink of elimination as the first-round series shift to Dallas for Game 3 on Thursday night. In his team’s precarious position, Mavericks guard Jason Terry said “Game 3 is Game 7”. Dallas was able to lead inside the final minute in each game only to come up empty.
Oklahoma City Thunder at Dallas Mavericks
When: 9:30 PM ET, Thursday, May 3, 2012
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
The Mavericks opened as 3-point favorites on several sports book sites online. NBA Betting is getting hotter and people are definitely putting their bets in, before that – know your pick.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City must feel gorgeous for holding a 2-0 series lead even when Kevin Durant had shooting woes, the league’s three-time scoring champion. Durant went 15 of 44 in the two games, but he buried the game-winning jumper in Game 1 and hit the go-ahead free throws in Game 2. The Thunder got unexpected offensive contributions from starting center Kendrick Perkins and backup point guard Derek Fisher, who scored 13 and 11 points, respectively, in Game 2 after both were held off the scoresheet in the series opener. It was recorded as the highest offensive output for Perkins since March 25.
Dallas Mavericks
The Thunder fell for Dallas in five games last season, helped by a pair of fourth-quarter comebacks, but it was unable to close the deal in Oklahoma City. Dallas has depended heavily on their outside shooting, launching 45 3-point attempts in the first two games and converting only five of 23 attempts in Game 2. Point guard Jason Kidd has hoisted up a team-high 12 in the series, making just three, and is 4 of 18 overall from the floor. Dirk Nowitzki may need to conjure up his tricks of last season, when he burned the Thunder for a pair of 40-point outings.
Note:
The Thunder has won five of six games against the Mavericks this season. The margin of victory has been four points or fewer in four of the victories, very close. Kidd Managed to reach a postseason milestone with 1,000 points, 1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds.
NBA Betting Predictions: Mavericks 97, Thunder 91
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