Sean B’s Best NBA Playoff Bets Today: Mavericks vs. Warriors Picks & Predictions | Friday 5/20/22

Fans across the country witnessed a smackdown on Wednesday with the Celtics defeating the Miami Heat 127-102 to spoil their perfect home playoff record. The Celtics continue to dominate opponents in games after a loss. The Eastern Conference series is now deadlocked at one game apiece and headed to Boston for Game 3. Friday offers up another Game 2 showdown in California between the Dallas Mavericks and the Golden State Warriors. Dallas will need to have a short memory after getting rolled by the Warriors in Game 1. Let’s dive into the best NBA bets today, picks and NBA betting tips for Friday, May 20.


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Dallas and Golden State run it back with Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals at the Chase Center on Friday night. The Mavericks are starting off in a similar spot to the last series where they lost their first two games against the Phoenix Suns before evening up the series at home and closing it out with a win in Game 7. Luka Doncic‘s smirk said it all as he walked back to the tunnel after Game 1’s whooping. The young superstar has the awareness of a veteran and knows this is a long series, so no need to mope after one game. Doncic will need to clean up the turnovers, though, as he had seven in Game 1. Golden State will look for a repeat performance of Wednesday, where it finished shooting 56% as a team. Game 2 is set to tipoff at 9 p.m. ET.

Coach Jason Kidd and the Mavericks will need to watch some film and get back to the drawing board after getting humbled in a 112-87 loss on Wednesday. As a team, the Mavericks shot only 36% from the field, scoring just 18 points in the first quarter to fall behind early and never come back. Doncic led the team with 20 points, while Spencer Dinwiddie was second with 17 points off the bench. Dallas was not shy from beyond the arc, where it attempted 48 3-pointers and only made 11. The Mavericks’ role players will need to be more efficient when getting open looks to gain the Warriors’ respect. Doncic’s offense alone will not be enough to save the Mavericks from the splash party at the other end of the floor. The glaring rebounding advantage for the Warriors was apparent in Game 1, with the Mavericks getting outrebound by 14 boards. They will need to decide if they want to continue with the small-ball lineup or try to insert a big man to compete on the boards.


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Golden State is arguably the best off-the-ball offense in the league playing through continuous motion and screens. It produced 24 assists on 46 makes in Game 1. The Warriors had seven players finish in double-digit scoring, led by Steph Curry with 21 points and a team-high 12 rebounds. Golden State elected to assign Andrew Wiggins as the primary defender of Doncic. In 35 minutes, the All-Star guard was held to 33% shooting. Wiggins got help from fellow teammates when guarding Doncic, but his ability to take on the challenge of defending one of the top offensive players in the league was impressive. Now the Warriors will need to have a similar outing in Game 2, as it is no secret that Doncic is going to find a way to get buckets.

The Mavs’ role players have not shown up consistently on the road throughout these playoffs. The Warriors are capable of long runs on any given night and it is even worse when their opponent goes ice cold. Despite both teams’ success from three-point land throughout the season, these are two tough defenses that rank top in the league in defending the perimeter. Dallas has no interest in pushing the tempo as it ranks last in pace on the season. The under is 5-1 in the Mavericks’ last six overall. The under is 4-1 in the Warriors’ last five home games. Game 2 opened a half-point lower than the original number for Game 1, which is surprising knowing it ended with a total of 199 points. Even if Dallas’ offense produces more points from beyond the arc, there is plenty of room for the under to cash once again in Game 2.

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Best NBA Bet for Today’s Game: Total Under 214.5


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Author
Sean Blazek (aka SweatBets) has contributed to Awesemo since November 2021 and is currently an NBA Betting Content Creator. His articles can be found on Awesemo as well as OddsShopper under the NBA Betting Articles section. Sean has a knack for identifying value in spreads and totals using an analytical approach to find his Best Bets. Follow him on Twitter @SweatBets and get ready to cash.

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