Mavs don’t cover, for a change

Rarely is the sequel as good as the original. It would have been crazy to expect Dirk Nowitzki, the Dallas Mavericks' 7-foot shooting stud, to come close to duplicating his near-perfect Game 1 performance.

Nowitzki still played his part well Thursday night, but his supporting cast came up as lame as "Caddyshack II," and the result was an end to the NBA's most impressive point-spread streak in memory.

The Mavericks had covered 15 consecutive games before falling 106-100 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who evened the Western Conference finals by stealing a split in Dallas. A series starts when a home team loses, so the situations are serious now in the East and West.

But in the view of most bettors, if these series were sisters, one is a supermodel in a bikini and the other looks frumpy. In terms of dollars wagered, Las Vegas Hilton sports book director Jay Kornegay said Chicago-Miami is leading by almost a 2-to-1 ratio.

While the superstar power of the East finals is evident, the entertainment value in the West is underrated.

"The bettors might warm up to the Mavericks and Thunder," Kornegay said. "I could see this series becoming more popular because of the style of play. It's about as up and down as you can get for a playoff game."

Nowitzki was scorching hot in the opener, hitting 12 of 15 field goals and all 24 free-throw attempts en route to 48 points. He scored 29 points Thursday, shooting a dismal 9-for-10 at the line, but his missed free throw didn't cost the Mavericks another win and cover.

It was Dallas' weak defense and Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Shawn Marion and J.J. Barea failing in supporting roles. Kidd threw a pass into the front row and then bricked an open 3-pointer with just more than a minute to go. Terry fouled James Harden's beard on a four-point play to help the Thunder close the third quarter with a one-point lead.

So the streak was stopped at 32,768-1 -- the odds against the Mavericks' 15-game ATS run, according to RJ Bell of Pregame.com. Dallas closed as a 5-point favorite, and it opened the door for Oklahoma City to take control of the series on its home court.

The Hilton's proposition on Nowitzki's total points and rebounds was 36½, a number he went under while grabbing five rebounds.

Kevin Durant was the bigger star. Point guard Russell Westbrook is the team's lightning rod, and Durant makes the Thunder roll. Durant finished with 24 points -- under his prop total of 30½ -- and was on the floor in the fourth quarter while Westbrook sulked on the bench.

The biggest theme of the series to bettors is the high scores. The Mavericks won the opener 121-112, when the total was 194½ and the teams attempted a combined 79 free throws and made 71. The Game 2 total closed from 200 to 201½, and only briefly did it threaten to go under.

"If you like offense, you've got to like Dallas-Oklahoma City," said radio host and handicapper John Kelly of EOG.com.

Kelly prefers the defensive tenacity of Chicago-Miami, and he bet the Bulls at plus-170 to win the best-of-7 series. The teams are fit to be tied after LeBron James and Dwyane Wade led the Heat to an 85-75 win Wednesday in a brickfest that fell far short of the 181½ total. If Derrick Rose is slowed, the Bulls won't be doing much running.

"Neither team played well in Game 2, and that's trouble for the Bulls because that's a game they should have won. It was there for the taking," Kelly said. "Even though Wade and James were good in Game 2, in late-game situations I think the jury is still out."

That's the summary of a series that appears headed for seven games. It might be ugly basketball at times, but all eyes are fixed on the Heat to see if James and Wade can close the deal.

"It's great for the NBA," Kelly said. "The suspense and the intrigue, those are games you watch for 48 minutes."

Unfortunately, we can't watch the Bulls and Heat again until Sunday. The four-day delay until Game 3, as Kelly said, "kills the momentum" of the series.

"It's embarrassing to the NBA, which forces teams to play four games in five nights for a regular-season circus," Kelly said.

Miami is favored by 5 to 5½ points in Game 3, and Kelly said "'dog or pass" is his opinion.

"The winner of Miami-Chicago will win the NBA Finals," Kelly said. "The finesse, jump-shooting teams will struggle" against either hard-guarding team from the East.

If you prefer offense, follow Nowitzki and Durant. For defense, see the Bulls and Heat. Each series is great in its own way and sure to get better, unlike watching Jackie Mason in "Caddyshack II."

Contact sports betting columnist Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts the "Las Vegas Sportsline" weeknights at midnight on KDWN-AM (720) and thelasvegassportsline.com.