Oklahoma City at Dallas

The Dallas Mavericks find themselves behind the 8-ball, trailing Oklahoma City 2-0 in their first round playoff matchup. I think Dallas feels like they could and should be 2-0, but that isn't the case. They lost in Oklahoma City by a combined 4 points. They have done a good job on Westbrook and Durant, with the dynamic Thunder duo hitting just 38-88 for 43% and just 5-26 from deep. They will have the edge at home where they have defended even better all year, and a 2-0 deficit tends to bring out the best in a good team, and early defense will be the key. Dallas is 6-1 to the UNDER vs. a winning road team in their last seven, and with their playoffs lives at stake, the first half defensive effort should be the "A" game. The Thunder is playing 11-4 to the UNDER on the road vs. a winning home team in their last 15, and will face more of the same - defense early. Play the first half UNDER.