Dallas Mavericks Favored In Game 3 After Miraculous Comeback Against Miami Heat

Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks pulled off a stunning comeback against the Miami Heat to win Game 2 of the NBA Finals, 95-93 as 4.5-point underdogs at Bodog, and they evened the best-of-seven set at one game apiece to steal homecourt advantage.

It took all of six minutes, but the Mavericks are suddenly in the driver’s seat of the NBA Finals. And the ring for the finger of LeBron James just got a little further away. Now Dallas opens as 3-point home favorites for Game 3 (with a total opening around 187.5, according to shops tracked by OddsShark.com).

In Game 2, the Heat were well on their way to victory – and to the payday against the number at Bodog – but the Mavs stepped up the defense and Nowitzki came up big. Dallas found an answer for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and friends down the stretch, and Nowitzki did the rest, scoring the Mavericks’ final nine points of the game – including a huge three-pointer to give his team the lead in the final minute.

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Mario Chalmers responded on the ensuing possession with a three-ball of his own for Miami, but Dirk wasn’t done. Nowitzki wheeled past Chris Bosh to lay the ball in with 3.6 seconds left, and Wade’s three at the buzzer rimmed out to give Dallas the win.

Nowitzki finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds and was a game-high +11 for the Mavs, while Wade had 36 points and six assists for the Heat. James was held to 20 points and eight boards and was a -6 on the night.

The Game 2 upset was huge for futures, props, and series prices bettors, but the cover was already in place when Dallas got close in the final minutes. With the win, the Mavs improved to an incredible 17-3-1 ATS (17-4 SU) in their last 21 games, including 13-3-1 ATS in the playoffs.

Dallas won the only meeting between the teams at American Airlines Center during the regular season, but bettors shouldn't put too much stock in the 106-95 win as 2.5-point chalk way back on November 27.

The currently out-of-action Caron Butler led the Mavericks with 23 points in the win, Carlos Arroyo and Zydrunas Ilgauskas started for the Heat, and Mike Bibby, Mike Miller, and Udonis Haslem weren’t in Miami’s lineup. Game 4 is scheduled for Tuesday night, while Game 5 is set for Thursday night in Dallas because of the 2-3-2 format.

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