NBA Playoff Action – Dallas vs San Antonio

With the Dallas Mavericks trailing 3-1 in their first round series with San Antonio, will they be able to steal a victory and force a Game 6? We’ll find out Tuesday night, as you get ready to make your NBA Playoffs basketball bets.

NBA Playoffs First Round: San Antonio Spurs (50-32 SU, 44-37-1 ATS) at Dallas Mavericks (55-27 SU, 37-44-1)

San Antonio 3-1 Series Lead (2-1-1 ATS)

Tuesday, April 27: 9:30 p.m. NBA TV

NBA Betting Odds: Dallas -5, Total Points 193

Here are some Betting Trends which may impact this game:

San Antonio: Total has gone UNDER in 3 of 4 playoffs games

San Antonio: 3-1-1 ATS in the postseason

Dallas: 1-3-1 ATS in the postseason

Dallas: Total has gone UNDER in 6 of their last 8 games

Dallas came into this series not only as the favorite to beat San Antonio, but as a dark horse to win the entire Western Conference. But after winning Game 1, they’ve lost three straight and find themselves on the brink of elimination. For them to turn things around, they’ll need their superstars to step up.

In Game 1 of this series, the Mavericks were led by the steady play of veterans Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd. However in the last three games, neither has played anywhere near the All-Star level they played during the 2010 regular season.

Nowitzki started off this series with a brilliant, 35 point performance, on 12 of 14 shooting and 12 for 12 shooting from the foul line. However, he has disappeared since, as he’s shot just 26 for 57 in the Mavericks three losses. Game 4 was especially disappointing, as Nowitzki attempted only 10 shots from the field, making just four. As for Kidd, in their three losses, he’s shot just 5 for 13 from the field.

As for San Antonio, things are going very well for the Spurs, thanks to some unlikely sources. The biggest surprise of this series so far has undoubtedly been guard George Hill, a second player from IUPUI, who has lit this series on fire. He scored 17 points to lead a Game 3 win and followed that up with a career postseason high 29 in Game 4. Veteran Manu Ginobli has also added 20 points per game in this series as well.

However, the biggest key to the Spurs success, is the spectacular defense they’ve played all series long. In the last three games, San Antonio allowed Dallas just 89 points per game, well below their average of 102 points a game during the regular season.

And it’s because of that defense that the Spurs should be your NBA basketball bet on Tuesday night. We’re not saying that the Mavericks can’t win this game straight up, just that trends from the last few games indicate that the Spurs should be your play.

They’re playing defense as well as anyone in the playoffs right now, and are backing it with a balanced scoring attack led by Ginobli, Hill, Tim Duncan and others.

Make the Spurs your basketball bet on Tuesday night.

Aaron’s Pick: San Antonio +4