Tip-off: Monday, 7:35 p.m. ET
Line: Dallas -3.5, Total: 205.5

The Mavericks look for their third straight win as they ride a hot streak into Manhattan on Monday night to take on the lowly Knicks.

Dallas has won eight of its past 10 games (6-4 ATS), and the offense has been sizzling so far on this East coast road trip, averaging 118.5 PPG on 55.1% FG during its two-game win surge. On the other hand, New York has lost two straight games, blowing double-digit leads in both defeats. That makes the team 2-8 SU (3-7 ATS) in the month of February. And while the Mavericks are the NBA's fourth-best road wager at 20-10 ATS on the road this season, the Knicks are a dreadful 10-20 ATS at home (2nd-worst in league). These teams played earlier in the season on Jan. 5 when 6.5-point underdog New York shot 49% FG and rolled to a 92-80 road win. The Knicks have won-and-covered in two straight home games against Dallas, but prior to that, the Mavericks won-and-covered in eight of nine, and five straight at Madison Square Garden. Overall, these clubs have split the past eight contests evenly (4-4 SU and ATS). Both teams have positive betting trends, as Dallas is 32-15 ATS (68%) on the road over the past two seasons where the total is at least 200 points, but New York is 18-6 ATS (75%) in home games when playing its third game in four days under head coach Mike Woodson.

Can the Knicks get back in the win column on Monday night? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2012-13 season. The five StatFox experts have been sizzling with a 62% ATS record (31-19-1) since Feb. 10, making them 53% ATS (156-136-7) since Dec. 1. StatFox Dave has a stellar 60% ATS (36-24-2) Best Bets record since Dec. 1 and is 55% ATS (46-38-1) on Best Bets for the season. StatFox Zach has a strong 58% ATS mark (33-24-3) on Best Bets since Dec. 1 and is 54% ATS (44-38-3) on Best Bets for the season. StatFox Brian is catching fire, going 73% ATS (16-6-1) since Jan. 25 and 61% ATS (31-20-1) in Best Bets since Dec. 12, while StatFox Gary is on a 5-2 ATS run since Feb. 12.

Dallas is an efficient offensive team, dishing out 23.7 APG (4th in NBA) which leads to 104.4 PPG (7th in league) on excellent shooting clips of 47.3% FG (5th in NBA) and 37.5% threes (7th in league). Defensively this club is not good, surrendering 102.2 PPG (24th in NBA) on 46.3% FG (27th in league) and 35.6% threes (14th in NBA). The Mavericks also struggle on the boards with a mere 40.6 RPG (3rd-worst in league). However, they are on a tear over their past 10 games, scoring 105.9 PPG on 48% FG while allowing 99.6 PPG on 46% FG. Over the past three games, star PF Dirk Nowitzki (21.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG) is averaging 23.7 PPG (56% FG), 6.7 RPG and 4.0 APG. Going up against the Knicks, Nowitzki should be able to score at will, as he is going to be guarded by a much smaller Carmelo Anthony. Nowitzki tallied 18 points (6-of-11 FG) and nine rebounds in last month's loss to New York, and is now averaging 24.6 PPG (49% FG, 41% threes) and 8.6 RPG in 27 career meetings with his Monday opponent. SF Shawn Marion (10.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG) has been excellent during this road trip, averaging 16.0 PPG (62% FG), 9.0 RPG and 1.5 SPG in the two games. Marion’s rebounding and activity around the rim could cause the Knicks some serious problems, but he was horrible in last month's loss to them, scoring two points on 1-of-6 FG over 31 minutes. SG Monta Ellis (18.9 PPG, 5.8 APG, 3.4 RPG, 1.8 SPG) has struggled scoring the ball recently, averaging just 11.7 PPG (38% FG) over the past three games. However, he is contributing elsewhere with 6.3 APG and 2.3 SPG in those contests. Ellis did not attempt a single free throw in last month's loss to New York, so look for him to focus more on getting in the paint on Monday night. SG Vince Carter (11.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG) could be in line for a big game as well after coming off of an 18-point, 6-rebound, 5-assist performance against the Pistons on Saturday. He scored 13 points (4-of-13 FG), four rebounds, one assist and zero steals in the Jan. 5 win versus the Knicks, which are well below his career averages of 23.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 4.5 APG against them.

New York's offense continues to be subpar with 97.7 PPG (21st in NBA) on 44.4% FG (20th in league), but it makes a strong 36.8% threes (11th in NBA). The Knicks aren't much better defensively, allowing 99.6 PPG (13th in league) on 46.0% FG (22nd in NBA) and 37.6% threes (27th in league). This is also a team that rebounds poorly (40.7 RPG, 26th in NBA) and doesn't pass well either (20.4 APG, 25th in league). After really struggling all season, PG Raymond Felton (10.5 PPG, 6.0 APG) has turned in some nice performances for New York over the past two games with 15.5 PPG, 9.0 APG and 4.5 RPG. Since the All-Star break, SF Carmelo Anthony (27.9 PPG, 8.5 RPG) has been dominant for the Knicks recently with 35.8 PPG on 49% FG (45% threes) with 8.2 RPG, but his team has just one win during this scoring binge. Anthony scored just 19 points (6-of-16 FG) in last month's win over Dallas, but also had seven boards and five assists, allowing four of his teammates to also score in double-figures that night. Anthony has really tired down the stretch this season with a 37% FG clip in the fourth quarter of games and 31% FG rate in overtime. SG Tim Hardaway Jr. (9.6 PPG) scored 10 points (4-of-6 FG) in 12 minutes off the bench in the earlier win over the Mavs, but the rookie had just seven points (3-of-10 FG) in Saturday's 107-98 loss to Atlanta before fouling out. Hardaway must get back on track if the Knicks are going to pick up another win against Dallas. The Mavericks play an up-tempo game and it should allow for a lot of open threes for the Knicks sharpshooter (39% threes).