NBA playoffs: Texas twosome Spurs and Mavericks in action

Defending NBA champions San Antonio Spurs will try to take the series lead when they host the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series on Friday, favoured by 4.5 points in the betting at Coral.

Sixth place Spurs needed overtime to earn a crucial 111-107 victory over Los Angeles in Game 2, claiming the outright win while pegged as 4.5-point underdogs. The win also ended San Antonio’s three-game SU and ATS losing streak against the No. 3 Clippers, improving them to 7-4 SU in their last 11 dates against this opposition, 6-5 ATS.

San Antonio’s win also bolstered their odds of retaining the NBA title, which sit at 5/1 entering Game 3 on Friday night at AT&T Center, after slipping as far as 7/1 following their loss in Game 1.

The Clippers, who saw an eight-game SU win streak ended in Game 2, have also enjoyed a bump in their NBA futures betting odds, which are now pegged at 16/1 after entering the post-season at 18/1.

Dallas Mavericks will be looking for their first win in their opening round series with Houston when they take on the Rockets on Friday as slim one-point favourites.

The Mavericks, in seventh spot, fell behind 2-0 in the series following their 111-99 loss to No. 2 Houston on Tuesday, and will be without guard Rajon Rondo for the remainder of the season after the club shut him down due to an apparent back injury.

However, the loss of Rondo may turn out to be a net plus for Dallas, where the four-time all-star has been a source of controversy since arriving in a trade with the Boston Celtics earlier this season.

The Mavs face a Rockets squad that has tallied five straight SU wins, 4-1 ATS, and is an impressive 7-2 SU in their last nine on the road. Houston have also been an offensive dynamo of late, surpassing 110 points in nine of their last 13 SU wins.