Mavericks shoot for division lead against Pistons

Jan. 9, 2008 / By Nick Bailey

The Dallas Mavericks can grab a share of the Southwest Division lead when they host the Detroit Pistons Wednesday at American Airlines Center.

Dallas, winners of four straight, is a half-game back of the division-leading San Antonio Spurs, who are idle tonight.

Detroit, second in the Eastern Conference, had its 11-game winning streak stopped Saturday with a 92-85 home loss to the Boston Celtics, the top team in the East.

The Mavericks are 2½-point favorites at BodogLife, while the game's total is 189.

Last season, Dallas had the league's best record at 67-15 SU, while Detroit led the Eastern Conference with 53 wins. Now, both are second in their conferences, the Mavericks behind the NBA champion Spurs and the Pistons behind the improved Celtics.

Dallas has a 6-4 SU edge head-to-head in the past 10 meetings, but Detroit is 6-4 ATS in that span.

This is their first meeting this season. The teams last squared off on March 18, when Dallas won 92-88 but failed to cover the 6-point spread.

In its last game, Detroit (26-8 SU, 23-10-1 ATS) was outscored by ten points in the fourth quarter of its loss to Boston, falling as 2-point home favorites. The score was Under the total of 181.5.
 
The Mavericks (23-11 SU, 15-18-1 ATS) beat the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves 101-78 as an 8.5-point favorite, with the score Under the total of 193.5.

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