Free Pick | NBA | Sunday | March 15

Nelly’s has a pick in the Big Ten Championship Sunday following Saturday’s win in the semis!

#565 Dallas Mavericks +16.5 over Cleveland Cavaliers 2:40 PM CT

Cleveland is just 5-5 S/U in the past 10 games and after playing on the road in five of the past eight games the Cavaliers have a brief trip home before going back on the road Tuesday. Cleveland hadn’t produced a win by more than 15 points since February 19 until winning 138-105 in Dallas on Friday. Facing the Mavericks again now back at home won’t likely provide Cleveland’s strongest performance. Dallas is just 3-18 S/U since late January for an incredible slide, but the roster has faced great challenges in that run. Dallas is a winning ATS team this season as a double-digit underdog and +16.5 would match the largest underdog spread of the season for the Mavericks, who covered vs. the Thunder at +16.5 on March 1. Cooper Flagg returned for the Mavericks in early March while P.J. Washington skipped Friday’s game and could be back in action today to give Dallas more scoring potential than the team has often had with its depleted roster in recent weeks. Cleveland has only faced spreads this high this season vs. the Wizards in splitting ATS in two games home-and-away with Washington and the Cavaliers don’t have great depth on the roster right now with Jarrett Allen, Sam Merrill, and Jaylon Tyson possibly out for this game. A daytime game in a one-off homestand vs. a team that Cleveland just crushed on Friday doesn’t line up for a max effort performance from the Cavaliers while facing an extreme favorite price on Sunday.