Los Angeles Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks Betting Picks, Odds, Lines & Predictions
The first NBA betting matchup of the two-game series between the Lakers and the Mavericks takes place on Thursday night. The biggest news for the Lakers the possible return of Anthony Davis. Los Angeles will welcome back one of its two megastars but have held their own in their absence. The Lakers are now 35-23 for the season, going 28-30 ATS. They have been playing at exactly .500 lately, winning 5 in their last 10 games.
The Mavs, on the other hand, have struggled in the past 10 days, winning only 2 of the last 6. They now find themselves half-game behind Portland for the final direct playoff spot. Over the season they’re 31-26 straight up and 26-31 ATS. The previous meeting this season went the Lakers’ way, 138-115.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks Betting Odds & Line Movement
The Lakers opened as -1.5 NBA betting favorites, but the news of AD’s likely return has moved the line even further in their NBA betting direction. It now stands at -4. The total dropped slightly from the opening 217 and is now at 216.
Notes On The Los Angeles Lakers
The long-awaited day for Lakers fans seems to have finally arrived. Anthony Davis will suit up for tonight’s game after missing more than two months. However, he’ll still be on a minutes restriction so expect him to play around 15 minutes. The rest of the team held pretty well without AD and LeBron. This is mostly thanks to the No.1-ranked defense. The Lakers are coming to this matchup after splitting the two-game against the league leaders, the Jazz. After winning the first game in overtime, they were easily dealt with on Monday, losing 111-97. No member of the starting five really got going. The most prolific contributor came off the bench as Horton-Tucker scored 24 points. AD is a perennial DPOY contender, but it seems that will need his help on the NBA betting offensive end more. They struggled with scoring and hand no clear No. 1 option on their offense since AD and LeBron went down. Playing against Mavs who rank 22nd in defensive efficiency is a perfect opportunity to get their offense going.
LeBron James remains out indefinitely as does Jared Dudley. Schroder, Drummond, Morris, and Gasol are all game time decisions. Still, expect all of them except Gasol to play.
Notes On The Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks avoided their third straight defeat last night but still allowed Detroit to score 117 points. It’s the third consecutive game in which they’ve allowed 117 points or more. In addition, in these three games, Dallas’ opponents shot an average of 50.4% from the floor. Their poor showing on defense and overreliance on Luka Doncic on offense is becoming a real concern. Tonight they’re playing the best defensive team in the league which will be even stronger as Davis returns. Luka will get his shots, but someone else will have to step up if the Mavs are to get anything out of this game. Plus, they’re on the second night of a back-to-back and they tend to rest Porzingis in those situations. With Maxi Kleber also questionable, this could be a long night for Dallas under the rim. Plus, both of them are solid shooters and provide space for Doncic to operate.
Other than a possible rest for Porzingis and Kleber’s back problems, the Mavs have no other health issues for tonight.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks Betting Pick & Prediction:Lakers -4
The Lakers remained an elite defensive team even without AD and Lebron. AD’s return to the NBA betting lineup will only make them stronger and ease some of the issues on the other end of the court. Dallas struggles on the back-to-back and is only 4-7 ATS in those situations.
