Lakers at Mavericks Game 3 NBA Playoff Odds

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The Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks will tip off Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal series on Friday May 6, 2011 at 9:30 PM ET at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The game will be televised on ESPN.

The Lakers, which were a -400 favorite to win this series, are in danger of seeing their bid for a third straight championship come to an end. In fact, NBA odds makers have them going down 0-3, listing the Mavericks as a 2.5-point favorite with the total set at 185.5.

Los Angeles blew a golden opportunity in Game 1 by blowing a 16-point third-quarter lead. It still led by five with 3:32 to play, which is usually Kobe Bryant time. The league’s best closer, however, literally fumbled away the game down the stretch with a turnover and a missed three-pointer off the back iron.

Instead, it was Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki who proved to be more clutch. The German 7-footer scored 28 points in the game and none were bigger than his two go-ahead free throws with 19.5 seconds left.

The stunning defeat evidently took the wind out of L.A.’s sail as it was not able to recover in Game 2 and took a 93-81 defeat.

Despite having an advantage in the paint with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, the Lakers settled for far too many perimeter shots. They were just 2 of 20 from three-point range.

The Lakers will now try to do what only three other NBA teams have ever done – come back to win a best-of-seven series after losing the first two at home. This is certainly unfamiliar territory for the two-time defending champs, who hadn’t lost the first two games of a playoff series since the 2008 NBA finals. That also happens to be the last series they have lost.

It might be jumping the gun, however, to say L.A.’s goose is cooked considering Dallas’ recent shortcomings in the playoffs. The Mavericks have only won one playoff series in the previous four postseasons since blowing a 2-0 lead to the Miami Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals.

While L.A. is sure to play with a sense of desperation in Game 3, it could be without one of its better defensive players. Ron Artest is facing a possible suspension after being ejected with 24.4 seconds left for clotheslining Dallas guard J.J. Barea.

Not having Artest could be too much the Lakers to overcome against a Mavericks squad that appears to have more quality depth.

Lakers backers will no doubt like the fact that their team is 10-4 against the spread in its last 14 road games. It is also worth noting that road teams facing a point spread of +3 to -3 that are out to avenge a loss to an opponent of 10 points or more, provided they check in off an upset loss, are 38-15 (71.7%) against the number the last five seasons.

While those numbers look pretty good for L.A., it may be difficult to go against a Dallas squad that is 12-0 against the spread in its last 12 games at some books. It is also interesting to note that the Mavericks are 19-6-2 against the spread in their last 27 games following a win of more than 10 points.

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About the Author: Jimmy Boyd is known for his consistency. He's a proven winner in college and pro football, college and pro basketball and pro baseball. He finished as the No. 1 ranked MLB handicapper in 2007 by earning $1,000/game bettors $50,050. He also finished as the No. 1 ranked basketball handicapper in the 2008-09 season, profiting $1,000/game bettors 38,530. His basketball plays have banked $1,000/game bettors nearly $80,000 the last five years. Check out Jimmy's premium picks for tonight!
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