The Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz will cap off the NBA’s Christmas Day slate when the teams meet Saturday evening. Tipoff is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET, although the league has said it could adjust the timing based on COVID protocols.
Odds and splits below are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Mavericks vs. Jazz betting splits
Gameday update — The spread is up to 12.5 in favor of the Jazz, though the public is still lean on the Mavericks and the points slightly. The over is getting a good chunk of the action at 62 percent on the handle and 67 percent of the bets at 215 points. The moneyline is a bit odd. The Jazz are favored big at -850 and most of the bets are going that way. The handle is leaning Mavericks +575 at 55/45 split. There isn’t much value in Jazz ML, so it’s likely being used in parlays.
Against the spread: Jazz -11
Even with Luka Doncic out and Kristaps Porzingis questionable to play, the public is backing the Mavericks here. Dallas only has 43 of bets on this category, but those bets account for 75 percent of the money coming in. 57 percent of bettors are going with the Jazz here, but those bets are only a quarter of the handle here.
Over/under: 217.5
A whopping 66 percent of bets and 99 percent of the money coming in on this category is on the over. The Jazz are the highest-scoring team in the league, while the Mavericks rank 27th in points per game. Even with Doncic out, the public likes the points on this game.
Moneyline: Mavericks +475, Jazz -675
72 percent of bets coming in on this category are taking Utah, which makes sense given the Jazz are an overwhelming favorite on the moneyline. However, these bets only account for 17 percent of the money on this category. There’s a handful of bettors who are looking for the Christmas magic who are placing big bets on the Mavericks here, so there could be some lucky people out there if Dallas pulls off the upset.
Is the public right?
The Jazz have been quietly playing excellent basketball this season and with Doncic sidelined, it’s hard to see Dallas pulling off an upset on the road. The Mavericks could cover a double-digit spread though, so that will be something to watch in this contest.
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