Las Vegas Sun

April 26, 2024

Vegas Play of the Day: Dallas Mavericks at Milwaukee Bucks

Nowitzki

Kin Cheung / AP

Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas Mavericks, center, reacts after his team score against Philadelphia 76ers during the Shenzhen basketball match of the NBA China Games in Shenzhen city, south China’s Guangdong province, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018.

The fifth season of the annual Play of the Day betting competition between the Sun's sports staff is now under way, effective July 1.

Bankrolls start at $10,000 for each of the four participants, with the objective to increase it as much as possible over the next year. The minimum daily wager is $300, with a $200 penalty assessed for failing to place a bet on an assigned day.

Past winners are Case Keefer in 2017-2018, Ray Brewer in 2016-2017 and 2015-2016, and Taylor Bern in 2014-2015.

Dallas Mavericks plus-12 at Milwaukee Bucks: $330 to win $300

The impetus of this wager is pretty simple: It’s a buy-low on the Mavericks. Dallas has struggled lately, going 3-7 in its last 10 including losing three consecutive both straight-up and against the spread.

Dallas looks dangerously close to falling into a category with Phoenix and Memphis as the only Western Conference teams out of the playoff race. But that feels just a little premature.

The Mavericks were right in the thick of the race a couple weeks ago and still has a great coach, Rick Carlisle, and one of the league’s top young players, Luka Doncic.  

The Bucks are certainly formidable, but this is a number it should only be laying against a select few teams at the bottom of the league. The Mavericks aren’t there yet.

The line should drop, and plus-12 may end up as value on a team that shouldn’t be counted out just yet.

Current Standings: Brewer (16-13-1, $12,120), Keefer (25-19-2, $11,756), Emerson (2-3, $7,387), Grimala (14-14-1, $4,250)

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.

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