Dallas Mavericks vs. Washington Wizards Prediction: Can Kyle Kuzma Step Up for Wizards Tonight?

Dallas Mavericks vs. Washington Wizards Prediction: Can Kyle Kuzma Step Up for Wizards Tonight?

The Washington Wizards host the Dallas Mavericks in Capital One Arena in D.C. tonight with a tip-off time of 7:00 pm EST. The Mavericks have started their season 8-3 and are in third place in the West behind the Nuggets and Wolves. The Wizards have had a much worse start, starting the season 2-8, beating out only the Pistons for last place in the East. The Wizards are in desperation mode and need a win. Who can help them?

Mavericks vs. Wizards Date, Time, and Where to Watch

• Date: November 15, 2023
• Game Time: 7:00 pm ET
• Where to Watch: NBA League Pass

Dallas Mavericks vs. Washington Wizards Prediction

The Jordan Poole experiment has not gone well for the Wizards. Poole wanted a bigger role on a team and the Wizards took a shot. Well, Poole is shooting 41% and is averaging 16.2 points per game. Not quite the superstar he has been hyping himself up to be, at least so far. Instead, Kyle Kuzma has taken over the team and is the leading scorer after Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis left. Kuzma is averaging 24.1 points per game on 48% shooting.

Kuzma has been carrying the scoring load of this team, which is why I expect him to put up a lot of shots tonight. Last game, he attempted 25 field goals, going 4-7 from three, 10-18 from two, and 2-3 from the free throw line. Kuzma ended last game with 34 points, marking the 5th time in 10 games this season he has put up 25 or more points. Kuzma has had a few games where he has struggled to score, but he is still the number-one scoring option for the Wizards, and he faces a bad defense in the Mavericks tonight.

The Mavericks rank 5th-worst in the NBA with a 116 defensive rating. The Mavericks are also 25th in scoring allowed, giving up 118.8 points per game. They are also 29th in opponent field goal percentage (49.5%). To make it even better for Kuzma, the Mavericks are also giving up 27.6 points per game to power forwards.

Both teams also love to run up and down the floor. The Wizards rank first overall with a 105.05 pace, while the Mavericks rank 6th with a 102.14 pace. With more possessions and a quicker pace, Kuzma will be getting even more looks than normal. The total for this game is 245, which is the highest total on the NBA slate tonight by far. With a fast-paced, high-scoring game, Kuzma can easily put up 30+ tonight. He has done so in his last two games against the Mavericks, putting up 30 last January and 36 last November. 24 should be a cake walk tonight.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Washington Wizards Pick

2 Unit Pick: Kyle Kuzma Over 23.5 Points -115 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds

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