Hawks vs Mavericks Prediction, Picks & Odds for Tonight’s NBA Game

Eric Rosales - Contributor at Covers.com
Eric Rosales • Betting Analyst 27+ years betting experience
Updated: Mar 18, 2026 , 09:47 AM ET • 4 min read

Rosales' prediction: Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jalen Johnson lead the Hawks to an 11th straight victory as they cover the spread vs. the Mavericks.

NBA

Match starts: 8 hrs
ATL
64 %
DAL
36 %
EXPERT PICK - SPREAD
Atlanta -8.5 (-110) Atlanta -8.5 (-110)
Read Analysis
Nickeil Alexander-Walker Atlanta Hawks NBA
Photo By - Reuters Connect. Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) passes the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks

The Atlanta Hawks ride a 10-game winning streak into Texas as they visit the Dallas Mavericks, who have dropped 10 of 12.

Atlanta has pounded teams with losing records lately, and my Hawks vs. Mavericks predictions expect much of the same tonight.

Read on for my full NBA picks on Wednesday, March 18.

Hawks vs Mavericks prediction

Hawks vs Mavericks best bet: Hawks -8.5 (-110)

The Atlanta Hawks' win streak has been fuelled by punishing a weak slate, as their 124-112 win over Orlando last game was their first on this run against a Top-6 opponent.

Only two other wins were against teams in a Play-In position.

Atlanta’s smallest margin of victory in the last 10 is nine points, and that fits about right with another sub-.500 opponent.

One of the teams they dumped was the Dallas Mavericks, 124-112, on March 10. Dallas can’t stop anyone. During this skid, it's allowed 120.9 points per game, the fourth-worst mark in the league.

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Hawks vs Mavericks same-game parlay

Let’s target Atlanta’s two budding stars. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is coming off a career-high 41 against Orlando, giving him five 20+ point games in the last six, including 29 against the Mavs.

Jalen Johnson is coming off a triple-double vs. Orlando and has 10+ rebounds in back-to-back games.

Hawks vs Mavericks SGP

  • Hawks -8.5
  • Nickeil Alexander-Walker Over 20.5 points
  • Jalen Johnson Over 10.5 rebounds

Our "from downtown" SGP: Eyeing Johnson and NAW

Johnson is averaging a robust 9.4 assists per game in March. He had 13 in his last game and has gone for nine or more in four of his last six.

Walker drilled nine triples against Orlando, but aside from a five-splash game last time vs. Dallas, he’s gone Under 3.5 makes in the previous 12.

Hawks vs Mavericks SGP

  • Hawks -8.5
  • Nickeil Alexander-Walker Over 20.5 points
  • Nickeil Alexander Walker Under 3.5 made threes
  • Jalen Johnson Over 10.5 rebounds
  • Jalen Johnson Over 8.5 assists

Hawks vs Mavericks odds

  • Spread: Hawks -8 (-110) | Mavericks +8 (-110)
  • Moneyline: Hawks -340 | Mavericks +270
  • Over/Under: Over 238 (-110) | Under 238 (-110)

Hawks vs Mavericks betting trend to know

Dallas has failed to cover the spread in five of its last six home games. Find more NBA betting trends for Hawks vs. Mavericks.

How to watch Hawks vs Mavericks

Location American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
Date Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Tip-off 8:30 p.m. ET
TV FDSN Southeast-Atlanta, KFAA

Hawks vs Mavericks latest injuries

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Eric Rosales - Covers
Betting Analyst

Eric has been involved in sports media in many different capacities since graduating from journalism school in 1999, back when getting your own column in a newspaper was still considered a thing. He doubled down and graduated from broadcast journalism school five years later, which led to a move to Toronto and a career with The Sports Network (TSN). From behind-the-scenes production work, he moved into the digital realm, where he had his own hoops column (At the Buzzer), while regularly live streaming and chatting with fans during broadcasts as the character known as LeBlog James. He was also a key contributor to TSN and CTV’s Olympic programming during the 2012 London Games.

Eric eventually found his way into the sports betting field in 2016 and has been a mainstay ever since. He was tagged on Twitter as a Top 10 NBA sharp during the 2021 season and has been interviewed about basketball and his handicapping process on shows from Vancouver to India. Eric is now a jack-of-all-sports at Covers, where his predictions span the alphabet soup: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, F1, WNBA, Euro, and Copa.

When making picks, he focuses on finding value first and foremost, and ensuring readers have all the information they need to make an informed choice.

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