NBA Saturday night and the final game of the slate is Dallas & Detroit south of the border. We’ve got basketball in Mexico City. Hablemos de baloncesto.
Game Information
- Arena CDMX – Mexico City, Mexico
- Dallas Mavericks (2-3) visit Detroit Pistons (3-2)
- Previous Matchup: DAL 123-117 – March 21st, 2025
Dallas will technically be the visitor in Mexico City.
Dallas Mavericks @ Detroit Pistons
The Mavericks had some preseason pundits considering the possibility of them winning multiple rounds in the playoffs. Five games into the season and they are 2-3 with injuries piling up. The glimmer of hope #MFFL had is fading away. Anthony Davis is injured with a serious injury, Klay Thompson’s splashing has dried up, and they are as deep as kiddie pool.
Silver lining? Cooper Flagg has been as good as advertised.
Detroit was supposed to take a major leap but the Pistons have stumbled out the starting gate. They’ve suffered departures that have seriously hindered their ability to space the floor. Their leader, Cade Cunningham, has had a slow start to the season shooting only 24.2% from beyond the arc.
Ron Holland Jr. has been a bright spot for J.B. Bickerstaff’s squad. He averaged 15.6 minutes in 81 contests last year. He’s already sitting over 20 minutes, and that likely remains unchanged until Jaden Ivey returns — which isn’t for weeks.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”es” dir=”ltr”>¡Es simplemente perfecta! 😍<br><br>¿Listos para la <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAenM%C3%A9xico?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#NBAenMéxico</a>? 🇲🇽 <a href=”https://t.co/OrZsvfLy3N”>pic.twitter.com/OrZsvfLy3N</a></p>— NBA MÉXICO (@NBAMEX) <a href=”https://twitter.com/NBAMEX/status/1983714754456883325?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>October 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
NBA Mexico City
Since 2014 there have been 14 games played in Mexico City and there was also a lone game played in 1997. The NBA is committing more and more to the city as this will mark the fourth consecutive year that they’ll host an NBA game. Basketball is growing in popularity in Mexico and the league sees the country as a priority in terms of growing the game.
Check out Luka Doncic and Blake Griffin addressing the Mexico City crowd a few years ago:
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-media-max-width=”560″><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>😂 Blake Griffin addressing the crowd in Mexico City after Luka! <a href=”https://t.co/HYbFqy1989″>pic.twitter.com/HYbFqy1989</a></p>— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href=”https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1205323307039506433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>December 13, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
NBA Game Analysis
Both of these teams are amidst early season struggles. Dallas and Detroit rank in the bottom third of the league in turnovers, True Shooting %, EFG %, and offensive rating. Small sample size? Sure. However, it’s hard to be competitive let alone a contender when you cannot shoot or take care of the basketball.
Interestingly, both of these teams are doing one thing everyone expected of them. They’re both playing elite defence as Dallas ranks 4th in defensive rating and Detroit is not far behind at 7th. These international games tend to be messy and with these two defences this game could turn into a fight in the mud.
Dallas will need to get downhill and attack. They’re without a true serviceable point guard but the Pistons are 30th in Free Throw Rate to their opponents and the Mavericks get to the line at the fourth best rate in the league. Cooper Flagg should be looking to attack on every possession. Furthermore, Detroit gives the 28th most 2nd chance points are are 21st in Offensive Rebounding % allowed. Jason Kidd and his team face a good defence but their are glaring weaknesses that they can attack.
Detroit is 2nd in the league at Opponent Assist-to-Turnover Ratio. They’ll be facing a team without a true point. Detroit needs to focus on getting into passing lanes and making everything tough for the Mavericks team. Conversely, on offence, they need to focus on getting out into the break. If they play the passing lanes and cause turnovers they can defence into offence quickly. Dallas is 30th at defending the fast break. To conclude, the Dallas Mavericks are 6-16 in their last 22 as an underdog. This is J.B. Bicketstaff & company’s game to lose.
Key Outlier.Bet Insights
- Klay Thompson has failed to exceed 16.5 PRA in 5 of his last 6 games vs. top 10 defenses for points allowed (12.7 PRA/per game).
- Cade Cunningham has exceeded 40.5 PRA in 11 of his last 13 games vs. bottom 10 defenses for rebounds allowed (46.2 PRA/per game).
Like the Analysis? Check out our Outlier.Bet review!
NBA Best Bet: Ausar Thompson o21.5 PRA (-115)
Ausar Thompson gets less headlines than his twin brother but he is as good as advertised since being drafted. This line has hit in 6 of the last 7. I expect him to see plenty of minutes on Cooper Flagg thats why I’m going with the PRA. I expect him to involved in a lot of action and the athletic young player will be ready.
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Thanks for Reading!
Bonus for Peepin’ the Scribbles: Cooper Flagg o.5 Blocks (-110)
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