Philadelphia 76ers vs Dallas Mavericks Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 05/02/2024, 04:22  by Kennedy Kechula | Modified on 05/02/2024 at 11:00 in NBA Prediction

The Philadelphia 76ers will be at home to welcome the Dallas Mavericks in their next NBA regular season fixture. Both teams are struggling at the moment with Dallas eighth in the Western Conference and Philly fifth in the East. The Sixers have lost five of their last six matches and were defeated 136-121 last time out by the Nets. After the game, it was revealed the star centre Joel Embiid will undergo surgery on a troublesome knee. This will keep him out of this game and possibly for the entire regular season. It is a big blow for Philly who have title aspirations. Embiid is not only their leading scorer but leads the entire league in points, averaging 35.3 a night. The Sixers have struggled without the big man and this season have lost 10 of the 14 matches he has missed. Tyrese Maxey will carry the heavy load on offence as he did recently against the Jazz where he scored a career-high 51 points. The Sixers are averaging 119.1 points. Tobias Harris is questionable while Nicolas Batum, De’Anthony Melton and Robert Covington remain sidelined.

The Mavericks also have a lengthy injury list. Derrick Lively and Dante Exum have been ruled out for this match. Luka Doncic returns to the list due to a troublesome knee and is questionable. Maxi Kleber is also questionable while Kyrie Irving is probable. Jason Kidd’s men are also seeking to get back to winning ways. They have lost their last two games with the recent being a 129-117 defeat at home to the Bucks. It was their 23rd defeat of the season and left them three games above .500. Of the eight games in which Doncic has missed this season, the Mavs have lost five times. If he is unable to suit up here the wait for a win could be postponed on this trip. The Mavericks have the ninth-best-ranked offence and are averaging 118.2 points.