The Dallas Mavericks are in a weird place. Despite having one of the best players in the world on their team, they currently sit at 12-12 after a less-than-exciting start to the season. In theory, with Luka Doncic on the team, their ceiling is still higher than what we’ve seen. But are the role players good enough to provide the necessary help when it comes time for the playoffs? What about in the short term, tonight in Indiana?

All odds are courtesy of Draftkings sportsbook and are current as of 12 pm CT, December 10.

Outcome Odds

Spread: Mavs +1.5 (-105)

Moneyline: Mavs +105

I don’t really understand why the Pacers are favored in this game. Yes, it’s in Indiana, but the Pacers are a disaster. They’re 11-16 currently and have some clear internal strife with their center, Myles Turner (hopefully this strife lands Turner in Dallas, but that’s a topic for a later day).

Not only are the Pacers just a worse team than the Mavericks, but their new head coach Rick Carlisle won’t even be on the sidelines as he recently entered the COVID-19 protocols.

The Mavs are coming off a gritty win in Memphis, and this feels like another winnable game.

Advice: Confidently bet on the Mavs moneyline. They’re not losing this game.

Over/Under

213 (-110)

We’re at the point of the season where the over/unders all look blurry. It feels like an absolute toss-up. The Mavs’ defense hasn’t been great recently, but the offense hasn’t been great either. The Pacers are middle of the road on both ends of the floor.

My gut is telling me to bet the over, mostly because betting the under is boring. Scoring is fun!

Advice: Stay away from this one, but if you’re feeling courageous, the over is probably the way to go.

Two-Team Moneyline Parlay

Mavs and Lakers +207

This is my favorite bet of the day. The Lakers are set to go against the tanking Oklahoma City Thunder tonight and are coming off an embarrassing loss in Memphis last night. There’s no way they come out slow and drop this game to OKC.

I don’t care who plays or who doesn’t play. If the Lakers are even an average team, they’ll bounce back and beat the Thunder tonight. If I’m wrong, at least it means the Lakers lost, which is a fun thing anyway.

Advice: Give this one a nice look. The payout is great for two teams that should win relatively easily.