The Daily Sweat: Kyrie Irving and Mavericks look to make a statement at Nuggets

The Dallas Mavericks didn't trade for Kyrie Irving just to win a few regular season games and make it out of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

The Mavs took on the controversial Irving, who turns 31 in March, to make a run at a championship. We still don't know if Dallas is good enough to beat teams like the Denver Nuggets.

The Nuggets are the best team in the West by five games. They're 40-18. Dallas and the Phoenix Suns made huge trade deadline moves, but the Nuggets might still be the team to beat.

Wednesday is a good test for the Mavericks and Nuggets. Dallas plays at Denver, and the Nuggets are a 5.5-point favorite at BetMGM.

Dallas has gone 2-2 with Irving in the lineup, but 0-2 with Irving and Luka Doncic together. They lost to the Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves. It's going to take a while for Irving and Doncic to learn how to play together. That's what February and March will be all about.

The Mavericks don't want to spend too much time experimenting. They're currently the No. 6 seed in the West and don't want to end up in the play-in tournament.

The Nuggets have been a machine this season. They're 26-4 at home. Nikola Jokic is having another unbelievable season, and he's the heavy -165 favorite to win MVP, which would be his third in a row.

The Nuggets didn't make a huge move at the trade deadline. They already had the best team in the West. We'll start to see Wednesday if teams like the Mavs closed the gap at all with their big moves.

Here's a first look at the sports betting slate for Wednesday:

Rest of the NBA schedule

There are 10 games in the NBA on Wednesday, including an ESPN doubleheader. The first game is the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Philadelphia 76ers, with the 76ers as a 1.5-point favorite, and that line seems low if Joel Embiid plays. The 76ers are 22-8 at home.

The second game of the doubleheader is the New Orleans Pelicans at the Los Angeles Lakers, which ESPN should have swapped out for Mavericks-Nuggets. The Lakers are 3.5-point favorites.

A big game in SEC hoops

Alabama is having a fantastic season and if the Crimson Tide can win Wednesday, an undefeated SEC season is suddenly a realistic goal. No. 1 Alabama, which is 12-0 in a tough SEC, plays at Tennessee on Wednesday. The Volunteers are ranked No. 10 in the nation and have lost two in a row on buzzer beaters. Tennessee is a 2.5-point favorite. It's tempting to take the points with the top-ranked team in the country, but it's a hard road test for Alabama.

Alabama-Tennessee is one of six games Wednesday featuring a top-25 team.

NHL has 6 games

There are six NHL games on the schedule, and the top one is the Colorado Avalanche at the Minnesota Wild. That's the second game on the TNT doubleheader. The Wild is a -140 favorite and they're probably the right side with the Avs coming off a tough overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.

What's the best bet?

I'll take the 76ers assuming Joel Embiid plays. He's listed as questionable, but I assume he plays with the all-star break next. Philadelphia did take a 28-point loss at Cleveland the last time the 76ers faced the Cavs, but that could be motivation for this meeting. The line is too short for a good 76ers team at home.