The Mavericks are coming off a 100-93 road win over the Lakers on Sunday, and they host the surging Cleveland Cavaliers tonight. The Cavs flexed their defensive muscle in an 89-79 win over the Phoenix Suns Saturday, and we might expect another low scoring affair here in Dallas.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Previous History - These teams have seen the total go under in six of the last seven head to head meetings, and the same is true in six of the Cavs last eight trips to Dallas.

2. Struggling Mavs - Dirk Nowitzki comes in averaging just 12.8 points on 39.9 percent shooting over his last 11 games, while Monta Ellis had averaged 12.5 points on 27.5 percent shooting in four games prior to a breakout performance on Sunday.

3. X-Factor - Both these teams have trended heavily toward low scoring games, but one of the more significant trends would be that Dallas has seen the total go under in 15 of it's last 21 home games.

Selection: This is a play on the Cavs@Mavs to go UNDER the total (10*)