LA Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks: Betting tips and prediction
The LA Lakers are fresh off their In-Season Tournament win and will head to the American Airlines Center first to take on the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday, Dec. 12, as part of their three-game road trip. The last time both teams met, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving saw the side home with a 104-101 win at the Crypto.com Arena. Now, LA has a chance to exact payback, and it helps their case that the Mavericks may not have Irving in the mix on Tuesday. A win would put the Purple and Gold ahead of Dallas who are tied with 14 wins each.
Despite injuries to their key names, the Mavericks cannot be discounted, although the LA come in with an edge, Barring Gabe Vincent who is inching toward full recovery and is expected to be ready before the end of the month, LA has the remainder of their roster healthy, and that means their defense is at near full strength. To add, the Mavericks are traveling overnight after beating the Memphis Grizzlies and are on the back end of a back-to-back.
LA Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks: Preview, betting tips, and prediction
The reason behind the Lakers winning the IST has been their defense. Jarred Vanderbilt and Cam Reddish have added more teeth to the team's efforts on that end. The rest of the roster are chipping in on both ends of the floor with LeBron James and Anthony Davis still doing the bulk of the scoring. A win on Tuesday will likely see LA rest the big names as they head to San Antonio to take on the Spurs in a two-game series.
For the Mavericks, a depleted roster is a bit of a bother, but they still have Doncic who has shown that he can shoulder the load offensively. On the injury front, the team has not released an updated report but expect Kyrie Irving (right heel contusion), Grant Williams (knee), Maxi Kleber (toe) and Josh Green (right elbow sprain) to be sidelined for the marquee clash.
LA Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks: Predicted lineups
The Lakers will most likely go with their regular five starting with D'Angelo Russell, Max Christie, Taurean Prince, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis.
The Mavericks will likely field their starting five from the last game. Luka Doncic, Seth Curry, Dante Exum, Derrick Jones and Dereck Lively II.
LA Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks: Betting tips
Luka Doncic has been the best player for the Mavericks and comes into the matchup with an o/u of 34.5 (-109 over and -125 under). For LA, watch out for LeBron James who is 27.5 with -101 over and -135 under. Anthony Davis is 27.5 with -121 over and -113 under.
LA Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks: Prediction
Health, confidence, and rich form are the reasons why LeBron James & Co. are favorites to win this matchup. They now have the roster that can disrupt Doncic and his offensive prowess. If they pick up right where they left off, LA will be walking away with another win and tie the series against Dallas.
