The Dallas Mavericks (24-51) and Milwaukee Bucks (29-45) will meet in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. ET from Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The game will broadcast live on FDSWI.
The Mavericks are 1.5-point favorites over the Bucks on the spread (Mavericks -1.5), with the over/under set at 228.5 total points. Dallas is a -115 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Milwaukee is -105 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Mavericks vs. Bucks predictions and NBA picks for Tuesday, March 31.
Mavericks vs Bucks Prediction, Pick
- Mavericks vs Bucks pick: Myles Turner Over 10.5 Points (-103)
My Bucks vs. Mavericks best bet is on Myles Turner to score over 10.5 points tonight. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Mavericks vs Bucks Odds
| Mavericks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 -105 | 228.5 -105o / -115u | -115 |
| Bucks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -115 | 228.5 -105o / -115u | -105 |
Mavericks vs Bucks NBA Preview
The Mavericks are already looking forward to next season after shutting down Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II for the rest of the campaign.
Wins have been hard to come by for this team that has just five victories in its last 30 games. Yet, somehow, Dallas finds itself in a rare spot as a favorite when it visits the Bucks.
The Mavericks are coming off a lopsided 124-94 defeat at home to the Timberwolves. Aside from that loss, Dallas has been competitive of late, with three of its previous defeats by seven points or fewer.
Those opponents include the Nuggets, Warriors and Clippers, all of whom are having much better seasons than the Mavericks.
According to TeamRankings' luck metric, the Mavericks have a luck factor of -3.0, suggesting they're currently underperforming relative to their advanced numbers.
They even (-5.1) have a better Net Rating than Milwaukee (-6.4), which has five more wins this year.
If we turn to the Bucks, they've had their share of setbacks with four straight defeats by 14 or more points. Moreover, three of those losses were by at least 30 points.
However, it's worth noting that Milwaukee closed as an underdog between 14 and 17.5 points in those games.
This time, the Bucks are no worse than 1.5-point underdogs, which suggests this game should be much more competitive.
With this matchup being essentially a pick'em, I'm not sure we can trust either side to come away with the win. A better option might be to consider an alternative in the player props market.
Mavericks vs Bucks Predictions, Betting Analysis
Things haven't quite gone as expected for Bucks center Myles Turner since his move to Milwaukee. Not only has the team struggled, but his scoring average of 11.9 points is the worst since his rookie campaign.
It doesn't help that Turner's minutes are also down from 20.2 to 27.1 per game. He's still getting his shots up from the perimeter (5.5 per game), but he's averaging two fewer attempts from the floor.
Tuesday's matchup against Dallas could suit Turner, as he won't be facing a traditional center.
The Mavericks often have to feature a smaller lineup due to the Anthony Davis trade and Lively's unavailability.
You could grab Turner's points prop of 10.5 if you can find it available (it was at Fanatics Sportsbook at the time of writing), with the Bucks center coming off a 15-point effort against the Kings.
Against Dallas, Turner has cleared this prop line in two of his last three meetings, which includes a 30-point performance last season.
Since there's a clear lack of scoring options for Milwaukee, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Porter still out with injuries, I'm banking on him to produce more tonight — and if the bookmakers project this game to be competitive, Turner should have a part to play in keeping the scoreline relatively close.
Action PRO projects Turner for 10.3 points in tonight's game.
Pick: Myles Turner Over 11.5 Points (-103, DraftKings)
Spread
I'm not betting either side of the spread.
Moneyline
I'm not interested in the moneyline.
Over/Under
My Mavericks vs. Bucks betting prediction is Myles Turner over his points line.
