The Mavericks’ front line just crumbled before our eyes.
In his first game after being traded for Luka Doncic in perhaps the most infamous deal in NBA history, Anthony Davis suffered an abductor injury, which knocked him out for at least a few weeks.
A game later, Dallas lost Daniel Gafford, who went down with a knee injury against the Kings.
The team was already without big men Dereck Lively II and Dwight Powell, leaving it with just one player on the roster — 7-footer Kylor Kelley — taller than 6-foot-7.
Kelley has played in just five games this season, logging more than eight minutes in a game just once.
Even if Kelley gets playing time Thursday, it’s hard to see how this tiny Mavericks roster is going to slow down the massive Heat frontcourt of Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware.
Heat vs. Mavericks odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | -1 (-112) | -122 | o221 (-112) |
| Mavericks | +1 (-108) | +102 | u221 (-108) |
Adebayo and Ware have thrived since the latter joined the Heat’s starting lineup late last month.
Over the prior 10 games heading into Wednesday, the rookie was averaging 11.4 points and 10.3 rebounds while Adebayo’s numbers had barely fallen off, averaging 19.8 points and 11.2 rebounds.
I’m expecting the Miami big men to have monster games Thursday night in Dallas with little resistance on the interior standing in their way.
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There are two avenues to play this, but I’m going to combine them.
Adebayo and Ware will likely snatch up every rebound there is, but I’m anticipating the Heat to feed them inside on the offensive end as well.
THE PLAYS: Bam Adebayo Over 29.5 points+rebounds (-115) and Kel’el Ware Over 20.5 points+rebounds (-115) | Same-Game Parlay (+258, DraftKings)
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Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
