Ten players will engage in a game of basketball tonight. Who those 10 players are is just about anyone’s guess. Covid-19 has thrown the NBA into a state of chaos. As of this morning, 117 players have entered the league’s health and safety protocols.

For Dallas, they will face Minnesota without Luka Doncic (ankle) and Maxi Kleber (Covid) among others. Minnesota will be without Patrick Beverly, Jarred Vanderbilt, Josh Okogie, Anthony Edwards, and Taurean Prince.

“Chaos is a ladder” as Little Finger once said. Let’s examine tonight’s game and identify any potential value from a gambling perspective.

Outcome Odds

Spread: Mavs -1.5 (-110)

Moneyline: Mavs -120

With Kleber out, Dwight Powell might clock 40 minutes. Porzingis is still questionable due to a toe injury but Kidd won’t want him out there trying to guard Karl-Anthony Towns. That means Powell is likely to draw the assignment against the talented big man. On defense, Powell will run around and wave his arms around like he’s trying to flag a cab in New York City. He’ll refuse to box out and will instead try to volleyball spike every loose ball and pray that it lands in the hand of a fellow Mav. On offense, he’ll clog the paint and force Porzingis away from his favorite spots on the court. This should be a Moses Brown game, for better or worse, but we all know Jason Kidd too well.

ADVICE: Stay away. Tonight’s spread is more radioactive than Chernobyl.

Over/Under

215 (-110)

Pound the under. It might be a race to 100 points.

Two-Team Moneyline Parlay

The Blazers are interesting but it’s too early to make a significant wager on any team. If they are still underdogs minutes before tip-off they might be worth a look. A Mavs/Blazers parlay pays +265. Other than that..... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯