Bucks vs Mavericks Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for December 9 (Teams Trade Buckets at American Airlines Center)

Bucks vs Mavericks Game Info

• Date: Friday, December 9, 2022
• Time: 10:00 PM ET
• Venue: American Airlines Center -- Dallas, TX
• Coverage: ESPN

The 2022-23 NBA season continues on Friday with 10 more games, including a battle between the Milwaukee Bucks and Dallas Mavericks. The Bucks rank second in the Eastern Conference with a 18-6 record, while the Mavericks check in seventh in the Western Conference with a 13-11 record.

Milwaukee is currently riding a three-game winning streak, which includes an exciting 126-113 win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. Dallas has won each of its last three games as well after taking down the Denver Nuggets, 116-115, on Tuesday. Which playoff contender will win tonight?

Bucks vs Mavericks Odds & Spread

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: MIL: (-120) | DAL: (+102)
• Spread: MIL: -1 (-110) | DAL: +1 (-110)
• Total: 224.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Bucks enter this contest as slight road favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 10 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 224.5 points, which is below average compared to the rest of Friday's projected totals.

Bucks vs Mavericks Betting Trends

- Milwaukee is 8-1 straight up in its last nine games played in December.
- The total has hit the under in each of Milwaukee's last five away games.
- Dallas is 4-1 against the spread (ATS) in its last five games.
- The total has hit the over in five of Dallas' last six games.

Bucks vs Mavericks Prediction & Pick

Fans are in for a treat as two of the best players in the NBA meet head-to-head on Friday in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic. They combined for 57 points, 16 rebounds and 16 assists in what was a 124-115 Bucks win over the Mavericks on November 27. Expect them to ball out again tonight.

The difference in this game can be found on defense. Milwaukee ranks third in defensive efficiency and is only allowing 106.8 points per game on the road (No. 2 in NBA). Dallas ranks 11th in defensive efficiency and is allowing an opposing shooting percentage of 47.9% on the season (No. 24 in NBA).

Look for Milwaukee to lean on its veteran defense and make it two wins in a row against Dallas.

Final Score Prediction: Bucks: 115 | Mavericks: 113

Bucks vs Mavericks Best Bet

This game could truly go either way, which makes shifting gears to the point total a smart move. Both of these defenses stand out, but it's not like the offenses are subpar. The Mavericks are averaging 122.3 points over their last three games and the Bucks drained 14 three-pointers on Wednesday.

The total has hit the over in six of Milwaukee's last nine games as well as in five of Dallas' last six games. The over has also cashed in each of the Mavericks' last five games against a Central Division opponent. There's enough secondary scorers ready to contribute for this to turn into a shootout.

Bet: Over 224.5 Points (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.