San Antonio Spurs vs Dallas Mavericks Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 25/10/2023, 07:35  by Joseph King | Modified on 25/10/2023 at 07:44 in NBA Predictions

The San Antonio Spurs host the Dallas Mavericks to open their 2023/24 NBA campaigns in one of the must-see games of the week. There will be plenty of star power on show in this Texas rivalry. The talk of the night is going to be French rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama who is making his NBA debut with the Spurs. The 7’4 unicorn put up some eye-catching numbers in preseason and the whole NBA world is waiting to see if he can deliver those same performances when it counts. San Antonio “earned” the number one pick and thus the Wembanyama lottery by way of their 22-60 record – the second-worst mark in the NBA last season. While Wembanyama will certainly instantly make them a better team, expectations should be tempered somewhat as the Spurs are very much still in rebuild mode. Their projected season win total is around 29 to 30 games, meaning we’re still likely looking at one of the bottom-three teams in the West.

The Mavericks faced a disappointing 2022/23 season which saw them miss out on the playoffs altogether after falling apart down the stretch. Dallas would finish the year winning just two of the last 10 games to ultimately finish 11th in the West on a record of 38 wins and 44 losses. It was the worst record that Dallas has put up since Luka Doncic’s rookie season and a huge dropoff from a team that won 52 games the year prior. The Mavs stuck with Kyrie Irving after acquiring the ball-handling wizard midseason and look to be all-in on the Luka / Kyrie backcourt. There’s certainly no denying the talent but questions will still remain as to whether or not these two are a good fit together. The front office made a number of moves in the offseason in an attempt to bolster the supporting cast, both on offense and defense.