NBA Tuesday night will see the marquee matchup pit the New York Knicks traveling to take on the Dallas Mavericks. The game is scheduled for an 8:30 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on NBA TV. Currently the odds have the Mavericks favored by just 2 points with the total sitting at 192 points.nue It's just nine days until the NBA trade deadline and both of these teams are going to have to continue to play to have a decent shot at the post season.

Free Analysis: The opening line on this game was Dallas -4, so to see this line cut in half and even down to just 1.5 points at some books is rather confusing. However, let's look at this game a little closer. One of the best moments during Jeremy Lin's rise came when he led the New York Knicks to a nationally-televised victory over the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks. However, it seems as if the Knicks and Lin have lost quite a bit of luster in the past few weeks and maybe they are having some chemistry issues. Free Agent signee Tyson Chandler will receive a championship ring in his return to Dallas tonight, so it's tough to determine where he is going to be emotionally for this game. Will he struggle or try to prove a point by leaving Dallas? "I'm just really looking forward to being back here," said Chandler, whom the Mavericks dealt to New York in December. "You know, last year was incredible. I felt a lot of the emotions from the fans here, I know how much they respect my game and what I was able to bring last year." New York (18-19) had lost 17 of 19 meetings to Dallas (22-17) before Lin had 28 points, a career-high 14 assists and five steals in a 104-97 home win Feb. 19. LINsanity, though, has now hit a rough patch, missing 20 of his last 27 shots and totaling just eight assists and committing 14 turnovers in two consecutive road losses. Yuck. Lin is trying to keep it all in perspective at this point in the season. "I'd rather be going through these tough times right now than in the playoffs," Lin said. "So just trying to learn as much as I can and hopefully we can make a push." Chandler had 14 points and 10 rebounds in the first meeting with Dallas. He could have an easier time Tuesday if Mavs starting center Brendan Haywood does not play, and judging by the point spread reduction, that might be the case here tonight. Or maybe it's because the Mavs are struggling in general. Dallas has dropped six of eight games overall, beginning with their loss to the Knicks. They came to New York on a season-high six-game win streak. Dallas was outscored 8-0 in the final three minutes last night to the Thunder. "We haven't really been sharp on our execution at the end of ball games and that's hurt us," guard Jason Terry said. "Not a big concern because I know the type of team we are. We thrive in those situations." Dallas has struggled offensively this season compared to year's prior, connecting on just 94 points per game. They've yielding 91 points per game on average as well. The Knicks, on the other hand, are scoring at a 96 points per game clip and giving up 95 per contest. Probably a big reason why they are a .500 team this year. Dirk Nowitzki seems to be heating up right now. He scored 27 points last night and 40 points just two games ago. Carmelo Anthony missed last month's meeting while sidelined with a groin injury but was a Mavericks nemesis during the 2009 playoffs, when he averaged 30.0 points against them in a playoff series victory with Denver. He's not seen the same success with Lin in the lineup, averaging just 18.4 points per game, well below his career average. However, if the team can stay cohesive, they might have a good shot at being a playoff team. They'll probably even win tonight outright as the Mavs are struggling.

Free Pick: I'll take the Knicks and the points while I can get them. The Mavs are banged up and it appears Haywood won't play tonight. New York needs a big road win to get back to .500 on the season and despite Nowitzki heating up offensively, Dallas might be in a bad spot here, especially coming off a loss last night to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Dallas might be experiencing some tired legs tonight and I'll take the Knicks.

Free Picks: Knicks at Mavs Betting
Is chemistry gone with Knicks and Revenge game for Mavs plus other factors NBA bettors need to know about Knicks at Mavs (Tuesday, March 6, 2012) from Pregame.com - Including predictions from Stephen Nover and analysis from host Marco D'Angelo.