Hawks vs. Mavericks NBA expert prediction, pick and odds for Thursday, April 4 (Dallas offense bounces back)

The Atlanta Hawks have won six of seven games and are locked into a play-in tournament spot in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta is a double-digit underdog Thursday night in Dallas against a Mavericks team that still has a lot to play for. 

With seven regular-season games remaining, Dallas is trying to keep its current position as an automatic qualifier for the Western Conference playoffs. The Mavericks, currently No. 5 in the west, have just a half-game lead over the No. 6 Suns and No. 7 Pelicans. Even the No. 8 Kings are just a game back. Dallas needs to continue to win to stay out of the play-in tournament and will try to cruise Thursday night against Atlanta. Here’s the betting breakdown of the matchup with a best bet. 

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Hawks vs. Mavericks odds, spread and total

Hawks vs. Mavericks how to watch

• Date: Thursday, April 4 
• Game time: 7:30 p.m. EST
• Venue: American Airlines Center
• How to watch (TV): Bally Sports
• Hawks record: 36-40
• Mavericks record: 45-30

Hawks vs. Mavericks injury report

Atlanta Hawks

• Not yet submitted

Dallas Mavericks

• Greg Brown III (personal): out
• Josh Green (ankle): out
• Dereck Lively II (knee): out 

Hawks vs. Mavericks key players to watch

Atlanta Hawks

Jalen Johnson: The former first-round pick is averaging 16.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game while shooting over 50% from the field. Johnson is coming off a stellar showing in Wednesday’s win over the Pistons, finishing with a triple-double of 28 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. 

Dallas Mavericks

PJ Washington: Outside of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, Washington was a solid offensive threat in Dallas’ loss to Golden State Tuesday. Washington finished with 20 points, though he went 3-of-10 from beyond the arc and 5-for-9 from 2-point range. He also grabbed five rebounds. Washington has now scored in double figures in four of the last five games. 

Hawks vs. Mavericks prediction and pick

If you’re going to be laying double digits with a team, they better have the motivation to bring their A-game. Motivation shouldn’t be a problem for Dallas as the Mavericks are trying to secure a top-six seed in the Western Conference. For Atlanta, there’s not much to play for since they are all but cemented to either the No. 9 or 10 seed for the play-in tournament. 

There’s also extra motivation for Dallas after coming up short in a close loss to Golden State on Tuesday. Plus, the Hawks haven’t been great on the road this season. Atlanta is 13-23 ATS in away games, the third-worst mark in the NBA. The Hawks are just 9-14 ATS as a road underdog, as well, having lost four of its last six away affairs (three by double figures). 

Dallas has covered its last two games as a double-digit favorite and has covered 11 of its last 13 games overall. The Mavericks are coming off a sub-par offensive performance scoring just 100 points and shooting 43.8% from the field against the Warriors. They have a dream bounce-back spot to crush Atlanta, which is 27th in net defensive rating and scoring defense (120.2 points per game). Dallas has the motivation to pull away, but its offense has the best matchup for this game. Take the Mavericks to go over their team total. 

Game odds update periodically and are subject to change.