Lakers vs. Mavericks Prediction: NBA Odds, Point Spread
The Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to welcome back superstar Anthony Davis when they visit MVP candidate Luke Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday. The Mavs opened as short favourites on the NBA odds.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
It’s been rather unusual scheduling in the season series between the Lakers and Mavericks. They played in Los Angeles on Christmas Day – LeBron James teams always play on the holiday because that’s the biggest day of the regular season and he’s the biggest star – and the Lakers rolled 138-115.
LeBron had 22 points and 10 assists, while Anthony Davis had 28 points, eight rebounds and five assists for L.A. Luka Doncic had 27 points and seven assists for Dallas but got little help. The Mavericks didn’t have their second-best player back then, Kristaps Porzingis, as he was recovering from offseason surgery.
These clubs haven’t played since Christmas and the season series wrap up Saturday in Dallas, although they could meet in the playoffs. Since the Lakers snapped a 14-game losing streak to Dallas with an overtime victory on Jan. 13, 2018, Los Angeles has won nine of the past 10 in the series and has covered the spread in eight of those games.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers have been without stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis for several weeks, and while LeBron reportedly isn’t close to returning, Davis plans to be in the lineup for this one. He has been sidelined since Feb. 14 with a calf strain and tendinosis in his right leg. The former No. 1 overall pick was averaging 22.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists and was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate before going down. He is expected to be limited to around 15 minutes Thursday.
The Lakers, who are 7-9 without Davis and James, have fallen outside the Top 4 in the West, meaning they wouldn’t have home-court advantage in a first-round playoff series. The key is not falling all the way to seventh as that would mean going through the play-in tournament. L.A. is coming off a 117-97 home loss to Utah on Monday. Talen Horton-Tucker, who has been a nice find, had a career-high 24 points. Los Angeles is 5-5 straight up and 6-4 against the spread in their past 10 games on the road.
Dallas Mavericks
It’s the second of a back-to-back for Dallas, which is 3-7 ATS in its past 10 in that scenario. The Mavs snapped a four-game home skid with a 127-117 win over Detroit on Wednesday. Superstar Luka Doncic was an assist shy of a triple-double, and Kristaps Porzingis had 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. The Mavericks usually rest Porzingis in one end of a back-to-back, but not necessarily every time, so that’s key to monitor here. Also keep an eye on fellow big man Maxi Kleber, who left Wednesday games early with a back injury. If Kleber is out, that should mean more minutes for Canadian Dwight Powell, who had six points Wednesday.
LAL
DAL