Posted at 10:30 AM EST. Odds subject to change.

Pinnacle O63 -114 BET365 O63½ -115 Sportsinteraction O63½ -115

Oklahoma City First Half Team Total over 63

Best Odds: -114 at Pinnacle

10:10 PM EST. We wouldn't want to be in the Mavericks' shoes tonight. The OKC Thunder had one of their worst offensive performances of the season two days ago, especially early in the contest. The Pacers' enjoyed the random regression, as the home-team only scored 17 points in the first quarter, going 7-19 combined from the field in the first 12 minutes of play. It was a stark contrast from one of the highest scoring and most consistent offenses in the NBA, one that's second overall in 1st quarter points (30.6) on average. 

Of course the Thunder weren't kept down for long, as they garnered 70 points in the middle two quarters, only to stumble again and only put 24 points up in the fourth. The Indiana Pacers, who still barely survived against their struggling opponent, ended up getting the win. The Thunder, although shooting only 43.4% from the floor and 37.8% from beyond the arc, still put up 111 points. Their 99 attempts speaks to their pace, which has been top-10 at home all season. The average NBA tempo produces around 89 attempts per game. 

Enter the Dallas Mavericks. There may be no NBA team more complimentary for OKC's offense tonight. Why? Because Dallas has been one of the worst defenses in the association since the All-Star break. Only the Lakers and Jazz have been more pitiful. Their lack of effort and execution on the defensive end is only stimulated further by their offense, a group that's 3rd best since the All-Star break, and they lean on it to get wins. Luka Doncic has been sensational in March. averaging 33 points, 10 assists, and 11 rebounds per game, but his excellence has been part of Dallas' inconsistency. The Slovenian star still has to do too much, and no one would assert that he's an above-average defensive player. Few teams are as shallow in the front court, either, leaving the Mavericks with a porous dynamic that great offenses can easily take advantage of. Since the break, they're permitting 119 ppg.

The OKC Thunder have been one of the most consistently exceptional programs in the NBA all year, and that starts with their offense. As a home team their ATS marks are sensational (66.7%), and their average first half margin (+3.1) is among the best of any outfit. There's a reason the Thunder are massive favorites, and it's not just because Luka Doncic left with hip soreness in the Mavericks' victory last night. This has the potential to be a blowout, so a full-game team total can get iffy when that happens. We expect the Thunder to hammer Dallas at home and bring a lot of early points with it.

Farley

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------