Mavericks vs Heat

Dallas has struggled at at form of defense and with the departure of Christian Wood from the line up (due to a fractured thumb) things only stand to get worse.

As far as the injury report goes, Tim Hardaway IS available, so perhaps if Dallas can’t defend, he will aid in the scoring department. Dallas has struggled at at form of defense and with the departure of Christian Wood from the line up (due to a fractured thumb) things only stand to get worse. Miami, on the other hand, has won 4 of their last 5, including a whupping of the Pelicans the other evening.

NBA odds, picks, and predictions for the Miami Heat at Dallas Mavericks on January 20. NBA betting best bet and free pick analysis.

The Heat rank second in defensive rating over nine games since the start of 2023. While the Heat offense is playing better, they are still scoring just 110.2 points per game and rank 25th in effective field goal percentage over the last nine games. The Heat opened this matchup as 1-point road chalk and the line has moved slightly in their favor since then, sitting at Miami -1.5 as of Friday afternoon. Since I’m betting on a low-scoring game from the Mavericks, I would lean toward the full-game Under as well. Doncic is averaging 33.7 points with 8.8 rebounds and 8.8 assists but that hasn’t been enough to halt the [Mavericks](https://www.covers.com/sport/basketball/nba/teams/main/dallas-mavericks)' skid. Butler is averaging 22.4 points on 48.1% shooting while adding 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.7 steals over the last nine games. Until the Mavs get consistent production out of guys not named Doncic, they will continue to have trouble putting up points in tougher matchups. The Heat should also have its way on the glass tonight. This year is no different, as the team ranks sixth in defensive rating. The Mavericks, meanwhile, are in a bit of a slump, dropping three contests in a row and five of their last six. Clippers —and averaged 108 points in those four games and only topped 109 points once. While Doncic has put up big numbers this season, he isn’t getting enough support when the Mavs go against tougher teams.

Corey Parson previews Friday's matchup between the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks, including his betting prediction.

Be sure to monitor line movement and shop for the best line using Action Network’s [NBA odds page](https://www.actionnetwork.com/nba/public-betting). To be fair the Mavericks have been on the road most of the last two weeks, but at home the Mavericks are 9-13-1 ATS. Dallas has not been a good team to back and the betting window this season. They currently sit in fifth place, despite a three-game losing streak, but they are 1.5 games behind the third-place Sacramento [Kings](https://www.actionnetwork.com/nba/odds/sacramento-kings) and 1.5 games ahead of the 10th-place [Oklahoma](https://www.actionnetwork.com/online-sports-betting/oklahoma) City [Thunder](https://www.actionnetwork.com/nba/odds/oklahoma-city-thunder). [Western Conference](https://www.actionnetwork.com/nba/futures/nba-western-conference-champion-odds) entering Friday’s game. [Eastern Conference](https://www.actionnetwork.com/nba/futures/nba-eastern-conference-champion-odds) finals last season. They have to get their defense fixed if they expect to play deep into the playoff again this season. The Mavericks have not been as good on defense this season as they were last year when they went to the Western Conference Finals. The Mavericks rank 25th in Defensive rating and have given up at least 130 in each of their last three games. It’s the first time both teams have faced off this season and the Mavericks will be a good litmus test for the surging Heat. They have gone 15-9 straight up over that span and 11-11-2 against the Mavericks odds and find value in a betting pick.