The fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers will face the fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
Game 1 of the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Sunday in Los Angeles. Tip-off time has not yet been announced.
Los Angeles won the regular season series 2-1. The Clippers won their last two meetings, on Nov. 25 and Dec. 20, by an average margin of 14 points.
Los Angeles may be short on players for the first round matchup. Kawhi Leonard (knee) has missed the Clippers' last eight games, and James Harden (foot) has missed three of the last four.
Meanwhile, Dallas enters the postseason with plenty of health and momentum. The Mavericks won 12 of their final 15 games of the regular season.
The match predictions for the first round are as follows.
Play-in tournament picks: Lakers vs. Pelicans | Warriors at Kings | Heat at 76ers | Hawks vs. Bulls
1st round pick: Cavaliers vs Magic | Bucks vs Pacers | Minnesota vs Phoenix | Los Angeles vs Dallas
Oklahomans: Dallas, 4-2
Justin Martinez wrote: “Too many question marks in Los Angeles. How much will Leonard play? What version of James Harden will we see? Safe bet is Dallas. Improved defense “This is a team to watch with MVP qualities,” Luka Doncic said. ”
DraftKings: Los Angeles and Dallas are evenly matched to win the first round of the playoff series (-110)
Los Angeles opened at -135 as the favorite to beat Dallas in the first round of the playoffs, but both teams are -110 after that.
- Series winner: Los Angeles -110 | Dallas -110
- Win in 4: Los Angeles +1200 | Dallas +950
- Win within 5 tries: Los Angeles +550 | Dallas +750
- Win in 6: Los Angeles +600 | Dallas +360
- Win in 7: Los Angeles +330 | Dallas +600
more:OKC Thunder defeats Dallas Mavericks to claim top seed in NBA Playoff West
BetMGM: Los Angeles (-1.5) likely to beat Dallas in Game 1.
Los Angeles is a 1.5-point favorite going into Sunday's first game.
- Top/Bottom: 224.5
- Money line: Los Angeles -130 | Dallas +105
ESPN: Los Angeles has a 56.8% chance of beating Dallas in Game 1
ESPN projects a 56.8% chance for Los Angeles to beat Dallas in Game 1 on Sunday.
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